From: nadeem@igpho (Nadeem Malik)
Subject: Re: PAKISTAN FOR INDIA OR ARABS ?
Organization: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, CH
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL3
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 16:48:59 GMT

msardar@digi.lonestar.org (Mohammed Tariq Sardar) writes:
: 
: 
: Dear friends 
: 	     I would like to ask our learned colleges the following question
: whether the future of PAKISTAN lies with INDIA or the disintegrated ARAB world.
: Iam trying to assess all the possible things  which unite us(PAKISTANI) with the ARABS,
: other then the religion there  is nothing common between an ARAB and a DESI.
: The food we eat is different, our languages are totally different( spoken wise,
: some body will say we read the QURAN which is in ARABIC there for we know the ARABIC 
: language, not the same as if its your mother tongue), cloths we wear are different, 
: our national sports are different, most of all, we are geographically miles apart 
: from each other.  
: 
: 
: In comparison, ask your self the question HOW ARE WE DIFFERENT FROM THE INDIANS ?
: Other then the religion, we have more things in common with the INDIANS then ARABS, 
: food is the same, language(spoken) is same, cloths we wear are same, sports ...etc.
: Most of all  we are geographically located next to each other.

This article is a dangerously misconceived one. There are some fundamental
assumptions in this article which are simply wrong. 

The very question that Mr Sardar asks is wrong: why cannot the future of Pakistan
lie with both the Arab World and with India? As a matter of fact, we have reached 
that point in time where all countries are becomming interdependant (e.g.
global pollution problem etc.) All nations and cultures are multi-dimensional
entities, and there is no contradiction in building good links on all sides at
all levels of culture, diplomacy, trade and finance etc. 


Pakistan in particular has a very strong and clear link to the rest of the 
Muslim World which it should maintain; it is also part of the Indian Subcontinent
culture which it should also keep and maintain .. in fact how can it do anything
else?

In short, Mr Saradr's basic question (and implied concepts therein) are 
entirely ill-posed and wrong, IMHO.


[deletions]


: In light of all the aboves, iam under the impression that our future lies with
: IRAN,AFGANSTAIN,INDIA and BANGLADESH rather then the ARAB world. Recent GULF WAR 
: proved that the oil rich gulf states prefers the WESTERN WORLD. we also know the 
: concept of UMMAH never existed other then in books. Ever since the first century 
: of ISLAM we (muslims) have been fighting each other for personnel gains.


But this is true of any part of the world: the Christian West has been 
fighting themselves almost contiuously for the 2 millenia! What you are
referring to is the universal failure of peoples to live up to their
relgious principles, not the failure of religion per se. How can Pakistan
which is the only country ever to be established purely in the name of 
Islam abandon Islam and the rest of the Muslim World?
: 
: 
: In view of all the things i've mentioned SHOULD WE NOT PURSUE a national policy
: to mend fences with each other on mutual grounds to iron out our differences? 
: Are DESI's destine to live in FEAR, HATE and POVERTY, HAVE WE LEARNED ANY THING 
: FROM HISTORY ?

This is a patently sensible statement -- but it bares no relation whatver to
the previous parts of your article! This last paragraph stands on its own
merit, whatever our relationship with the rest of the Muslim World.

I have always advocated better and more rational relationship with India,
for the sake of both countries. Neither India nor Pakistan can afford
another war .. but as things are going this is the only certainty if 
good leadership (i.e. non-corrupt) is not found on both sides soon. The
best mechanism to defusing the regional cold war is to set up a free 
economic trading zone, like in Europe and, as of this week, in North
America.
: 
: 
: 						Regards
: 
: 						Tariq Sardar

regards
-Nadeem Malik (nadeem@p.igp.ethz.ch)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.pakistan