Introspection in East and West

After the terror attacks on September 11th, I have been hoping that there would be increased introspection in the Muslim countries as well as in the West. In Pakistan, in particular, I wanted the intelligentsia to look beyond the historical grievances of Muslim countries and take a critical look inward. In the West, I was hoping that American foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East would be crtically examined.

I have been very pleasantly surprised by the response of the intelligentsia in Pakistan. After reading many articles in the largest English Daily Dawn in Pakistan, the news magazine "Herald" and "The Friday Times" I am convinced that self criticism is vibrant and alive in Pakistan. Numerous articles by humanists, such as Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy, Asma Jehangir and others reassure me that Pakistan will move towards a more humanist society if the hands of the liberals within it are strengthened. In contrast to common perceptions in the West, the percentage of extremists in Pakistan is miniscule. The religious parties in Pakistan have never succeeded in obtaining more than a few seats in parliament in the previous elections, a much lower percentage than similar extremist parties in Israel or India.

However, I have been very disappointed in the American Media, particularly the New York Times. I have found little criticism or debate on the conflict in the Middle East. All one has to do is read a description of the same news event in the Middle East on the web site of British newspapers (such as guardian.co.uk or independent.co.uk) or listen to BBC news on Public Television, and compare it to the presentations in the American News Media. Indeed, a recent article by Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times has gone beyond selective news presentation and into historical revisionism.

On the issue of the disputed State of Jammu and Kashmir, Kristof simply panders to the extremist Indian point of view that totally ignores the thousands of documented deaths of Indian Muslim civilians in Kashmir at the hands of India’s security forces, while focusing on Pakistani support for Kashmiri militants. Atrocities by India’s security forces are well documented and have been highlighted by humanist organizations such as Amnesty International. Yet, Kristof recoils at the stench emanating from the bloody hands of the militants while his sense of smell deserts him when it comes to the murder, rape, encounter killings and colonial repression of the Kashmiri muslims by the Indian military apparatus. This selective sense of outrage can perhaps explain the sentiments expressed by the Nation, that muslim deaths don’t count. The fact that India needs one soldier for every 4 or 5 persons in Kashmir is testimony to its own repressive policies in Kashmir. If Kashmiris want to be a part of India, then why not simply hold a plebiscite and call Pakistan’s bluff? The UN has called for such a plebiscite in earlier resolutions. If Kristof wishes to ascertain for himself the gentle nature of Indian Occupation and expose the terrorist villains, I suggest he go to Indian Occupied Kashmir and spend a few weeks talking to the people, without the scrutiny of Indian security personnel. I doubt that he will be allowed to do that. It is not a coincidence that there are no foreign journalists reporting from Kashmir.

Articles such as that by Nicholas Kristof undermine the progressive forces in Pakistan that seek to move Pakistan to a liberal, secular democratic space. By belittling the aspirations of legitimate freedom struggles and ignoring their suffering, such articles only strengthen the voices of those elements in muslim societies that say that the west does not care about their suffering and wishes to colonize them all over again.

However, I agree with Kristof that Pakistan should stop its support for all armed groups, simply because violence will not solve anything and both India and Pakistan are better off addressing the pressing issues of social reform, education and health. At the same time, India must take some tangible steps to address the issue of self-determination for Kashmiri muslims. Unfortunately, just when conditions are ripe for Pakistan to move back towards liberal and progressive policies, Vajpayee needs to cater to his Hindu Taliban led by Bal Thackeray and company. I hope that progressive people in both India and Pakistan, who find violence of any kind abhorrent and want to work towards a free and fair South Asia, join forces to find a peaceful solution to this conflict.