Nawaz is not Modi

If one understands the basic political philosophy of Narendra Modi, it would not be difficult to analyse the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s ‘hate syndrome’ against Pakistan and this may continue as its entire politics revolved around hatred. India needs to come out of this syndrome if it really wants peace in the region. Why we expect our prime minister to behave like his counterpart? The two have come from a very different mindset even if Nawaz Sharif in the 80s and 90s had right wing tendencies.
What some of the non-state actors do in Pakistan, the state do in India and this is the dilemma of today’s India and BJP’s mindset. In Pakistan such a mindset does not enjoy electoral support. But in India, they had people’s support and the election of Modi as prime minister of the largest democracy despite his controversial background reflects the rising extremism in the Indian society.
Pakistan’s military response was powerful and strong as they may be considering the kind of intelligence reports they had about the alleged Indian involvement in different parts of the country particularly in Balochistan and Karachi.
Pakistan’s success in a yearlong operation “Zarb-e-Azb” and after National Action Plan (NAP) in North Waziristan, and country’s highly improved relationship with Afghanistan had also made India nervous. Pakistan’s success story has also made its impact around the world. Therefore, all this made the hardline person like Narendra Modi, the Gujarat massacre fame, more uneasy. Political stability in Pakistan and continued democratic process is also something which the Indian establishment may not like to see.
While the world showed more concern about terrorism and extremism in Pakistan because of the post-80s and after 9/11 policies, the people have always voted for parties which are liberal or right to centre.
Nawaz Sharif is not Modi because he won the election in 2013 on the programme for better relationship with neighbours and against extremism. On the contrary, the BJP and Modi won the elections on anti-Pakistan rhetoric.
Modi’s politics from his early student days based on hatred and he was even considered more extremist among extremists whether in the RSS or later in BJP. In his post-election tenure it appears as he has not yet accepted the fact that he is now the Prime Minister of India and not the chief minister of Gujarat. In his brief tenure so far his politics has not only threatened the ‘secular face’ of India but he has also spread this ‘hate syndrome’ in the region.
From his role in Babri mosque to Gujarat massacre no one should be surprised to hear his ‘confession’ about India’s support to Mukti Bahini in 1971. We know our own failure, both political and administrative, but even the former Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi had confessed some 40 years back about India’s role in exploiting the situation. Thus, the Modi’s mindset existed in India, when extremism and terrorism had hardly taken roots in Pakistan. It was India’s adventurism to enter into nuclear arms race in the region soon after the creation of Bangladesh. Though it claimed it was not Pakistan specific but everyone knows that it was not because of China that India conducted nuclear test.
Since we had a strong leader in the 70s, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who responded by laying the foundation of Pakistan’s nuclear programme. He even went to the gallows but did not compromise on nuclear programme.
Contrary to Modi, Prime Minister Sharif never had a hostile attitude toward India. He has a much rich background as compared to Modi, and was not involved in student politics. His entry into politics was accidental. Despite been backed and groomed by people other than civilians, Sharif when become powerful politician always wanted peaceful relations with India and practically took steps in this direction.
Pakistan always showed restrained and did not conduct nuclear tests until India took the lead in the nuclear arms race in 1998, and left Pakistan with no option but to conduct its own nuclear tests.
During all these years, from 1971 to 2015, despite fragile democracy and long dictatorships, Pakistan’s leaders went all the way for peace with India. Even the dictators like late General Zia laid the foundation of cricket diplomacy while General (R) Pervez Musharraf, was even ready to compromise on Pakistan’s decades old position on Kashmir, provided India come out with consensus formula and stopped atrocities in Indian-held Kashmir. Yes, Kargil episode remained controversial and even Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had expressed his reservations in 1998 during his second government and was ready to go ahead with ‘peace deal.’
Late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto also wanted peace with India and despite criticism from a cross section of society she was ready for a peace accord.
Pakistan is all for peace and has come long way to defeat terrorism and fighting against extremism. It would be naive on the part of our hostile neighbour to consider it as “weak country.”
When Sharif attended the oath-taking ceremony of Prime Minister Modi despite criticism within the country, he wanted to start a new chapter based on trade and economic progress. But, if Modi is in a different mood and has not yet recovered from ‘hate Pakistan syndrome’, not only he, India and the region will suffer but perhaps we may see more extremism.
It’s a big challenge for the Indian society to come out of this ‘hate syndrome’, and see the fallout of such people getting electoral support unlike in Pakistan. They have to defeat this mindset if they really want to defeat extremism.
The writer is a senior columnist and analyst of Geo, The News and Jang