(Daily Times,May 12, 2005)
Credit where credit is due
by Kamran Shafi
What kind of good governance do we have in the Mother of All Provinces if the government of the Great Chaudhry cannot provide protection to our guests within his own fiefdom?
There are just so many people in the world who fight for an ideal for no other reason but that it is an ideal, and because it is for the good of humanity; there are very few in the world who have such courage of their convictions that they will stand up against the strongest of the state apparatus and say the truth no matter what. Those who are in the vanguard of peace movements across the world are among those we speak about, the Indian subcontinent producing two outstanding examples: our own Karamat Ali of PILER, and the Magsaysay Award 2002 winner Sandeep Pandey of the Indian NGO, Asha (Hope).
It was so good receiving the India-Pakistan Peace March led by Sandeep Pandey at Wagah on Saturday last in the company of Karamat Ali and friends; it was so heartening to see ordinary, lay people, both Indian and Pakistani, so taken up with peace between their countries that they braved with good humour the hot sun for hours on end while bureaucratic procedures took their twisted, and long, and painful paths. It was so gratifying indeed, to see dedicated people like Sandeep, the moving spirit from the Indian side and Karamat from ours, give so much of themselves to amity and understanding. More than anything, it was great to see Sandeep’s young children, Chaitanya, eight, and Anandi, five, march with the rest!
That is what brought tears to my eyes, to see the little ones marching for peace: what memories these young children will carry all their lives, of being part at their tender ages of a march which attempted to talk some sense to two poverty-ridden but completely senseless countries, both of which possessed the ultimate in weapons of mass destruction but the mass of whose people lived in abject poverty.
It wasn’t easy for this march to proceed, we must note, both governments making it as hard as they could, ours excelling the other side. While the Indians delayed for 10 days the issuance of visas to the Pakistani marchers who were to cross into India to accompany the Indian marchers into Pakistan, the Pakistan government did not allow the Pakistanis to cross the border on foot to join their counterparts for another 13. Once these issues had been resolved and the Pakistanis had crossed over and joined their co-marchers in Beas, the Pakistan government delayed issuing visas to the Indians to cross into Pakistan for a further 19 days. Looks sort of even thus far, this negativism, doesn’t it? So how did we excel? By issuing only 12 visas to the Indian marchers while India issued 22 to ours.
It has to be put on record too that whilst India allowed Pakistani marchers to march alongside the Indians from Beas to Amritsar, we did not allow the Indians to march alongside Pakistani marchers from Lahore to Multan. They have now gone to Multan by motor transport. The reason that the authorities have put forward is the presence of extremists who could pose a threat to the Indian marchers. Permission was not granted despite the organisers taking full responsibility for their Indian guests.
A fob-off on the part of the government if you ask me: for we all know that the cowards who kill the unarmed and the weak would not dare attack hundreds of high profile peace activists. Moreover, what kind of good governance do we have in the Mother of All Provinces if the government of the Great Chaudhry cannot provide protection to our guests within his own fiefdom?
Sorry for boring you, gentle reader, but it is important to point out the fault-lines in this peace process so that the leaders spearheading it, even if they are half-way serious, can take corrective measures to identify the stumbling blocks, be they inflexible and pig-headed bureaucrats or stupid and arcane rules and regulations. Indeed who could find anything wrong with the declaration that the marchers are carrying with them and which 7,000 ordinary, poor Indians have signed during the march from Delhi to Amritsar:
“We support India-Pakistan Peace March and demand:
“1. India and Pakistan should resolve their disputes through peaceful dialogue. The Kashmir problem should be solved considering the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“2. India and Pakistan should abolish their nuclear weapons, and remove the armed forces and landmines across the border. The defence budgets should be reduced and resources should be directed towards development of the poor of both countries.
“3. Travelling across the border should be made easy for citizens of both sides and non-visa entry to both countries should be allowed.”
All of the people who signed the declaration also said they did not want their government to buy F-16s or F-18s. “We want the money saved spent on schools, dispensaries, sanitation and potable drinking water, not more weapons”, they all said. Needless to point out, their counterparts on this side of the border have like feelings.
All in all, the march is a laudable effort by all concerned that should be supported by each one of us in whatever way we can. Every little bit helps: a letter to the editor of a newspaper; an email to the Big General who is so very web-savvy; a ‘phone call to the interior minister’s office — anything at all. What today is a small snowflake can tomorrow snowball into an avalanche: of peace, amity and understanding.
This article about the good people of the peace march will not be complete without a mention of the Buddhist Monk Tenzin Rigzin. Dressed in his simple orange and yellow robes, wearing rubber chappals, carrying a small backpack, Tenzin Rigzin was humility and meekness itself. Hanging at the back of the march, out of the limelight, out of the sight of press cameras, bowing low with hands joined together in the traditional Buddhist greeting to everyone who approached, and beating a small hide-covered drum was Tenzin Rigzin. Over and over, softly; again and again. This was his peace drum and he was not about to get tired beating it. Incidentally, Tenzin Rigzin was one of those who appealed to ‘Prime Minister’ Shaukat Aziz for expediting their visas while they waited at the border for a week and more, to no avail of course.
A short note about the influence ‘Prime Minister’ Shaukat Aziz has over the regime he nominally heads: whilst he promised representatives of the peace-marchers when they met him in Karachi some months ago that the Indians would get a 150 visas, they ended up getting only 12! And those too much delayed. Good reason for him to reconsider his position if you ask me, and resign. Also, reason for all future requests to do with the government to be routed to the Big General himself: poor old Shaukat Aziz being neither here nor there. Seems to me his ‘prime ministry’ will be shorter lived than poor old Jamali’s! Any bets? I am good for Rs 10 any time.
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Kamran Shafi is a freelance columnist
