Out of Depth

Many people here have taken a very simplistic view of international diplomacy failing to recognise the underlying tensions and grasp the context and the modus operandi of the protagonists.Manmohan Singh, i and millions other suspect, is trying to leave back a political legacy or bowing to the communal forces at play in India.We need to recognise that we are dealing with the De facto heads of Pakistan-the civilian democracy- while the real power lies in the custody of the notorious ISI and its big brother-the army.So getting assurances from a rubber stamp are bloody useless.
The Pakistan army at the end of the day still believes it is its manifest destiny to form a Noe mughal empire with Islamabad as its capital and India as its vassal states.But India's hapless leader's have been equally responsible for perpetrating the crisis.Their reply to 26/11 was dossier bombing.
We had developed substantial international pressure, especially in the western world (which control the UN,WTO and other such crony groups) and had isolated Pakistan.When it the time came to deliver the knock out punch we were found wanting in every aspect-from our shoddy investigations to playing vote bank politics.
I am not a hardliner and have an immediate preference to liberal means to resolve such disputes but history is not just meant to fill up the old dust cupboards lined with cobwebs.There is a lot to be learned and inferred from it.Unfortunately over the years India have learnt it the hard way.
Peace will exist only when we have democratically elected govt. in Pakistan which wields complete power rather than the puppets which work at the behest of the ministry.Till then , i suspect, opening up diplomatic channels would be delusional.
Repeated bullshit is not wisdom.

Glamour is a magnet

Glamour.The one magnet which attracts one and all.One which possesses the ability to asphyxiate your brain.Its almost synonymous to putting blinkers onto horse.Though it is a deeply mystifying situation, it isn't a new phenomena.You witness it in all walks of life.From the inherent racism we as Indians display towards our countrymen at the scent of a foreigner to even the minute matter of being one of the many to buy an iPhone (just coz it's cool).

                  So why all this babble?Well, recently the new Pakistani foreign minister Mrs.Hina Rabbani Khar took the pains to visit India for another round of 'Lie To Me' with her Indian counterpart.As expected the media when overboard,twitter was busy discussing her handbags and comparing her looks with that of the duchess of Cambridge( another prime example of Indians getting blind sighted by glamour) and news anchors couldn't help but use the potent but cliched 'beauty with brains'.Now there is nothing wrong in taking such a deep interest in our relations with our friend/foe neighbour Pakistan.  

                  But a there's a certain extract in a Times of India article which could give us far more insight on Pakistan's latest and probably the most cunning crook.

She apparently loves her Birkins, which can cost as much as $100,000. Hina belongs to one of Pakistan's landed elite, is enormously wealthy, and owns Polo Lounge, an upscale restaurant in Lahore. In 2010, though, she - along with 25 other ministers of Yousaf Gilani's cabinet - didn't pay income tax. Over the past few years, she has paid agriculture tax of (Pakistani) Rs 7,500 but nothing under the head of income tax.      

                But why bother to read the complete article when the first paragraph gives a rosy picture.Here is a woman who is probably among the most wealthiest in Pakistan but hasn't paid tax since years.She pays a pittance in the name of agricultural tax.And this is the same woman we hope will help and participate in the eradication of terror from South Asia.Same one, we  hope will act on the evidence from the countless terrorist activity the notorious ISI has perpetrated in India.

               The point is that the veil of glamour is opaque .We never manage to see beyond that.Style quotient has become the substitute for lack of character.Glamour is such a powerful drug that it manages to even negate the obvious anti-Pakistan bias which exists in a major portion of the media and a part of the Indian population.

              The way we are going we might end up being a PR representative's dream audience.If people after being made aware of her unique achievements still wish to fawn over her then that's a personal choice.But i wouldn't hold my breath.


UPDATE: There's a nice article up over at first post titled
'

Hina Rabbani’s face may be new, but her lies are old'