|
India and Pakistan should strive for South
Asian economic alliance
Dr.
Sawraj Singh
 Pakistan
President Musharraf’s recent statement on Kashmir should be taken
seriously by India. It is a very significant development because
this shows that he is ready to change the traditional stand of
Pakistan on Kashmir, and is willing for fresh and sincere discussion
on the Kashmir issue. He has suggested that Pakistan would give up
its claim over Kashmir if India accepted his peace proposals.
Kashmir has been a bone of contention
between the two countries and two out of three wars between the two
countries were fought over Kashmir. Musharraf has suggested a
four-point solution to the Kashmir problem. A phased withdrawal of
troops, self-government for the people of Kashmir, no changes in the
borders of Kashmir, and a joint supervision mechanism involving
India, Pakistan and Kashmir.
During his visit to India, China’s
President Hu Jin Tao, had indicated that China wants to play a
constructive role in improving relations between India and Pakistan.
President Musharraf’s proposals, coming soon after Hu Jin Tao’s
visit to Pakistan, suggests that China might have played a role in
trying to improve relations between the two countries.
If economic relations between the two
countries improve, then it will be possible to move ahead to form a
South Asian Economic Alliance. The countries of the Indian
subcontinent not only share their borders but also have a common
history, and have similar cultural values. These facts can lay the
foundation of a South Asian Economic Alliance. Forming such an
alliance is compatible with the fundamental interests of the people
of the region. A South Asian Economic Alliance is also in line with
the historical trend of regional cooperation. Regional economic
alliances are now emerging in South East Asia, Africa, Latin America
and Europe. They have become a global historical trend.
It seems that India and Pakistan are
coming closer to a negotiated settlement on Kashmir. Kashmir is the
most difficult obstacle in relations between the two countries. If
the two countries can work to resolve this issue then it will become
easier to resolve other issues between them. However, if forming a
South Asian Economic Alliance is accepted in principle, then it will
give a big impetus to resolve all the issues, including Kashmir,
because this will create a favorable atmosphere to address all the
issues. The fundamental interests of people of the subcontinent,
including Kashmir, are identical. Their interests are tied up with
the interests of the people of Asia and third world.
We can have a Southeast Asian Economic
Alliance on the pattern of the European Union, where all the
countries have political independence but are benefited by economic
union. The Southeast Asian Economic Alliance can fulfill aspirations
of the people for political independence, national autonomy and
religious freedom, while they voluntarily unite for economic growth
and progress.
India and Pakistan are the major
players in South Asia. Once the relations between the two improve
then it will become much easier to bring together the whole region.
In the new world order, multi-polar world, South Asia is destined to
become a very important center. So far people of this region have
not realized their potential. In spite of the progress made by the
region, a very large portion of the population is still deprived
from this progress and the quality of life; and living standards of
the majority of people have not improved. India should not reject
the proposals, but should try to find some common ground for further
negotiations. We should try to improve the overall atmosphere for
the efforts to address the issues and problems. The concept of a
Southeast Asian Economic Alliance can be acceptable to people of the
Indian subcontinent. The acceptance of this broad concept will
create favorable conditions for solving the difficult problems,
including the issue of Kashmir. People of the subcontinent have a
bright future in the new order of a multi-polar world in the 21st
century, which is going to be Asia’s century.
New Judith Brown book studies
diaspora
New Delhi: A new book by a leading British
historian looks at the life of the South Asian diaspora across the
world. “Global South Asians: Introducing the Modern Diaspora” by
Judith M. Brown, a professor of commonwealth history in the Oxford
University, was launched at the British Council here Tuesday.
The first in a series on Asian history
planned by the Cambridge University Press, the book looks at the
migration of people from South Asia from the 1830s onwards.
“I wrote the book because, as a
historian, I wanted to know the reasons behind such a large movement
of people from South Asia to other parts of the world,” Brown said.
In Britain alone, the South Asian
diaspora numbers two million, comprising four percent of the
country’s total population.
She said the migration from South Asia,
along with that from China, is among the major movements of people
in modern times.
“Till now all books on the South Asian
diaspora have been microcosmic case studies,” Brown said. “There has
not been any over-arching book on the subject.
“In imperial India, people used to move
to places like Fiji, the Caribbean and Natal in South Africa to work
as indentured labour,” Brown said.
“Then there came government posts. Many
people, a majority of them Sikhs, used to join the police force
after retiring from army. These people were posted in places under
British rule like Hong Kong,” the author said.
Then, during the time of Mahatma Gandhi,
many people moved to East Africa and Natal to do business, she
added.
Post independence, there have been three
streams of migration, she said. First were the skilled and
semi-skilled people who moved out from South Asia in search of
employment.
“Then there are the South Asians who
moved out from places like East Africa - most importantly Uganda -
and Fiji in the face of persecution.
13 December, 2006
|
Read Also