By Srishti Chauhan:
It is not news to anybody that Pakistan has occupied a certain portion of Kashmir, now labeled as POK (Pakistan occupied Kashmir) in maps all over the world. It is also not news to anybody that a certain part of northern India is under forceful control of China. Nor is it of surprise any longer that Arunachal Pradesh is shown to be a part of China in the Chinese maps.
India has been seen as an essentially spineless country for decades. It is a very famous observation that states that the only man in Indian politics was Indira Gandhi. The lady, in her regime, took many unpopular steps and did not yield to pressure. She was known to speak and act her mind. After her regime, India has been ruled by a series of politicians who have more than often succumbed to pressure from other countries as well as from people within the country. The above examples of how India has been occupied unlawfully by other countries emphasizes this fact quite clearly.
After being elected as the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh has carried out a well-planned and intelligent strategy where the promotion of India economically is concerned. By projecting India to be a stable and terrorism opposing country, India has experienced an inflow of investment like hardly any other south east Asian country. Moreover, India enjoys a status different from that of other countries. The visas of most people in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan are continually rejected by the powerful nations like the Great Britain and USA. This, however, is not the case for India. Indian students find it a lot easier to study and work abroad.
The thinking of the prime Minister- an economist himself- is not only empowering the citizens, it is also leading to a sustained economic growth. Unlike China, where the growth has been so exponential that analysts are waiting for the bubble to burst, the growth in India has been both positive and sustained to quite a level.
The other side of the promotion of the country has, however, been completely neglected by the ruling party. India, after signing the nuclear deal which prohibits it to test any more nuclear weapons, has made itself weak in terms of military. The military general of India has been known to have commented that China’s army, once a match for India’s, is now 3 times as large and powerful as the Indian army.
This, and the fact that India is promoting itself to be an abiding and peaceful nation, has stopped India from declaring war on Pakistan and China and regaining the lost territory. Is this the correct approach?
Experts are of the opinion that waging a war on Pakistan is not a good idea because Pak has China as an ally- both countries together by sharing the mutual interest of hampering India’s growth. True is the fact that India may not be a match for the armies of the 2 countries together. But is that reason enough for us to continually keep losing parts of our nations to other countries? India has projected itself to be a weak nation even in the eyes of the terrorists. The terrorists attacks have increased to such an intensity but corresponding punishing of the accused is still at an infant stage.
The fact that India cannot do an “Osama” to get its culprits of 26/11 is so sure that most people are not even finding it a topic worth discussion. “India does not have the guts to do what USA did. All we know is how to get attacked and then spend lakhs of tax payer’s money on protecting the victims- just what we did in Kasab’s case”– says the blog of a person who goes by the name of “Mirror”.
Is economic growth the only thing that counts? Are we losing touch of ground realities in parts of the country where economic growth is still an alien concept and where people would more prefer to have a stable lifestyle not marred by insurgents and terrorists alike?
Is our PM’s strategy good? Not really! Ask yourself- how many of us expect Pak to occupy the whole of Kashmir? And how many of us think that Arunachal Pradesh will indeed officially become China like Tibet more or less has?
The writer is a Senior Correspondent of Youth Ki Awaaz and a student of University of Delhi.
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