Harsha Kakar
Post the successful test of the Ashwin interceptor missile in mid- May, there were violent cries from Pakistan about India changing the balance of power in the region. This has not been the first time Pakistan has cried hoarse. It has always been the case whenever India either purchases or produces an equipment with better technology. In fact, the blame for the turn down of the F-16 aircraft as a part of military aid by the US, was placed on India. Similarly, the rising Baluch and Sindh insurgencies and the increased attacks by the Pakistan Taliban are also placed squarely on India. These are just some examples of jealousy flowing from across the border.
Logically, Pakistan has many more reasons to be jealous of India’s success. Firstly, India is growing at over 7.5% per annum. It is amongst the most sought after destinations for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). As per their own government reports, Pakistan grew at a modest 4.7% in the last year. They are almost dependent on Chinese generosity and the future of the CPEC. US aid, both military and economic, which used to flow, is now on the back burner.
Secondly, is India’s growing proximity to nations which were once close to Pakistan as also its growing stature in the international arena. India and the US have moved closer and inked agreements which have made India a partner at par with NATO nations. Similarly, India is now closer to Saudi Arabia, another Pakistan supporter. Internationally India is a major economic and military power and the world looks upon India as being a net security provider in the region. The world (barring a few) are willing to back India’s entry to the Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG). Nations which once supported Pakistan have begun to move away. No nation, other than China is willing to back them for the NSG.
Thirdly, the insurgency which Pakistan supports in J and K is well under the control of security forces. In fact, casualties due to insurgency are lesser than the deaths in any of the metro cities of Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata. They remain in the news as they are the result of an insurgency. The recent past has witnessed more deaths of militants than civilian or security forces. In Pakistan on the other hand, the insurgency is only expanding. Punjab, which till recently was peaceful and uninvolved is the latest hotbed, where security forces have also been employed. Presently their entire nation is in the grip of insurgency and the army is heading anti- terrorist operations.
Fourthly, is the provision of basic amenities. Pakistan due its weak economy is unable to provide even the basic amenities to its population. An improved economic environment has witnessed a wider spread of basic amenities across India. Fifthly, is the issue of security. An individual moving out of his residence in India is assured of returning home safe. In Pakistan, where terror strikes and blasts are a daily occurrence across the country, an individual leaving home, even to visit the local market, is never sure of what could happen next. He is as prone to be picked up by security forces on trumped up charges as he is to blasts or terrorist strikes. The nation has become a virtual military state, with democracy only in name.
Sixthly, when Kashmir and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) are considered, the freedom enjoyed in India is a dream for residents across the border. They are supressed, controlled by the military and have almost no freedom. The Pakistani Kashmiri has never accepted himself to be a part of Pakistan. The few videos which emanate from this almost military state indicate their true condition. The Indian Kashmiri may have his reservations and being misled by a limited number of hardliners as also by lack of development and job opportunities begins to feel that the other side of the fence is greener. His protests are still accepted and he still possess his freedom, to speak and travel without any pre-conditions, something which his counterparts across cannot have.
Seventhly, is the rising fear of India’s growing conventional military power. An economically resurgent India can procure latest equipment from across the globe while Pakistan has to depend on China or the US for the same. Thus there would always be a conventional edge. To counter this edge, Pakistan is compelled to resort to widespread deployment of tactical nuclear weapons, hoping to deter India from any adventurism.
Eighthly, while India has always had irrefutable proof of Pakistan’s involvement in supporting and sponsoring militant activities in India, with the arrest or death of its nationals, Pakistan’s claims have always been documentary, none of which have ever been accepted by the international community. Even the so-called arrest of Kulbushan Jadhav has been considered stage managed by the international community. Thus for the Pakistan government, crying hoarse over India’s support to various terrorist groups and freedom movements has only fanned anti-India feeling amongst its population, but internationally they have been the loser.
Ninthly, in the sports arena, India overshadowed them in every event in the South Asian games. For cricket lovers, India successfully conducted the ICC world cup and its own IPL. The Pakistan team felt more secure playing in India, than it does in its own country. Pakistan is also forced to conduct its own version of the IPL in Sharjah and Dubai due to its volatile internal state. No international team has visited Pakistan since the attack on the Sri Lankan team in 2009. Its public can only watch events on TV.
Pakistan therefore, can never fathom any success story about India. The anti-India stance taken by the military and forced down by the civilian government and its controlled one sided media is only to shift the attention of its population from their own inabilities. Indians therefore, should accept anything flowing from Pakistan as a rambling of their inadequacies. In simple terms, for Indians, ‘jealousy- thy name is Pakistan’.
(The author is a retired Major General of the Indian Army)
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