Dr.Ayesha is quite rational & positive, but biased on two counts-- 1. India sent its army to kill LTTE militants in Sri Lanka and has never supported it (exception- some in Tamilnadu in the past) 2. India kept saying in 1971 that Bengali matters are Pakistan's internal matters & was under pressure from US not to act against Pakistan. Pakistan had messed up because it denied Sheikh Mujib, who had won majority in the elections, to form the govt. Finally India acted because too many refugees were coming in daily & there had to be some end or solution to it or the whole of Bangladesh would have come to India. 3. Bangladeshis are much more comfortable with Indians. They try to come, work & live in India even illegally. I have been with all types of them in Europe, Saudi & Malaysia. Actually Pakistanis in Saudi always nagged the Bangladeshis as if they were traitors, less than Muslims and inferior. The only thing I agree about is that some in Sri Lanka or Bangladesh perceive India to be unfriendly, but that is not the official line of their govts. who know the truth. India supports all its neighbors(except Pakistan)with development and other aid, etc. and wants democracy to flourish.
Ayesha's statement that Bangladeshis despise India and Pakistanis are not like that is not correct. B'desh has purchased lot of cold rolling mills, galvanising lines etc from India and many Indian workers and engineers are working there. It is not so with Pakistan, who discourage trade with India.
The replies by Ayesha were superbly candid.She is entirely differnt from other Pakistani intellectuals She is straight forward clean and impatial.Takes Pakistan and India both to task,whwnever ncessary.May God give more such people to Pakistan and India. Desai
Ms Ayesha, We can only pity poor Bangladeshis. There is no animosity towards them. These people are just the victims of the hatred spread by their politicians. Any way it gave you an escape route to avoid the questions. What reason do the Bangladeshis have to despise India. Do we have occupied their land or do we meddle with their governments or do we impose sanctions on them. If one can find the answer to this , he will laugh for him surely.
We dont need to point missiles toward bangladesh like china , we dont need to export terrorism to pakistan , but the day will come before this century when both will merge back.
I was reading Q/A sessions with analyst from Pakistan Ms Siddiqa (my apologies if I misspelled). It is very disturbing to read her answers. I agree that she is an expert but what difference does it make for Indians! Nothing. Her answers points that India is bullying every neighbouring states and these states hate us even though we helped them at different instances in last 50 years. It is unforunate that they hate us but can Indians change that? No, because we can't control how other behaves with us, we only control how we behave with others. Pakistan is on center stage of the world for two reasons 1) Extreme love for terrorism and 2) Because we Indians give them more importance then they deserver. Our leaders need to keep watch on Pakistan, true.But don't compare our capabilities with Pakistan because Pakistan is nothing without us. Comparing India and Pakistan is like comparing an elephant and a dog, Let dog keep on barking who cares. Siddiqa's argument is that we compare India with China all the time, which I don't think is true but same theory of elephant and dog can be applied to us, huh wait! Indians do have capabilities to become an elephant but pakistan,I won't bet on it
strysh asked, Can you tell me a ballpark date by when will Pakistan become a human managed state? No cheating...... Ayesha Siddiqa answers, Long journey.... Listen guys: India and Indians need to think a little more openly about other states and their problems. You people are typically judgemental. Doesn't get anyone anywhere
With all due respect Dr Siddiqa, I have been following your answers for quite sometime now. What caught my attention the most is the question posted by "strysh " he/she has not mentioned anywhere about his nationality or background. Yet in your answer u don't seem to stop undermining and being judgemental towards INDIA and INDIANS. I have nothing against you or your country, but I find this very offensive.
Looking at several of the questions asked on this chat, they seem to be openly antagonistic, and in fact, seem to perpetuate the myth that Indians have not come to terms with the existence of the state of Pakistan.
(Before I am accused of being a Paki, I'm an Indian - and a patriotic one at that)
If we continue to swallow the baloney our leaders feed us (and the same applies accross the border as well), we are never going to understand the other side - or ever reach a conclusive agreement on anything.
The Bangladeshis are ungrateful hypocrites. India gave them a nation of thier own; begged, bartered and borrowed to support them financially and materially and what does she get in return? A hateful, enmitical back-stabbing Bangla regime, in cahoots with Islamic exteremists and Pakistani ISI bent on the destruction of India. That's gratitude for you!
somehow, i missed the chat with Ayesha Siddiqa. my question to any pakistani for that matter would be : if only the stature of india and pakistan had been reversed , that is pakistan were of the size and strength of india and india were of the size and strength of pakistan, whether an "india" would have existed in world atlas today?
This Ayeesha person is full of crap - she asks 'what does it take for India to make peace with Pakistan?' It's Pakistan who invaded J&K Indian territory; It's Pakistan who invaded again in '65 with her trove of new, advanced US weaponry; It was Pakistan who invaded again in '71; It was Pakistan who invaded again at Kargil; It was Pakistan's agents who blew up the Parliament Bldg ..the list of Pakistan's hostile actions against India is endless .. ad infinitum. It IS Pakistan who needs to make peace with India!
