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Essay Contest--Get your column published in Time! Anyone up for it? I am!
Saleema
07/19/01 at 03:03:40
Subcontinental Drift: The General Wins Why Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf went home victorious   BY APARISIM GHOSH Tuesday, July 17, 2001 The only people who were surprised by the failure of the Agra summit were those who were unable (or unwilling?) to take off their rose-tinted sunglasses and face the harsh glare of reality. To more clear-eyed observers -- including, ahem, this one -- the talks were doomed from the moment they were proposed. After all, if we've learnt one thing from 54 years of hostility between India and Pakistan, it is this: the two countries are incapable of resolving the Kashmir problem by themselves. But it would be an error to call the summit a total failure. For Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's dictator, it was a crowning achievement. After enduring abject military humiliation in the heights of Kargil two years ago, the general was able to march, unarmed, into the heart of India -- and walk away the victor. First, the very fact that he was invited to talks by Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee conferred on the general exactly the kind of legitimacy he has sought since seizing power in a coup in the fall of 1999. Second, the invitation also gave Musharraf the perfect excuse to make himself President, on the dubious grounds that it would somehow give him more authority in his dealings with Vajpayee. The general further enhanced his status on his arrival in India, by courting the populace -- or at least the TV cameras -- with warm smiles, talk of peace and a $200 tip for his old nanny. Whoever has been advising Musharraf on public relations deserves a significantly larger tip. The general's neatest touch was turning up in mufti. (Aha! So THAT's why he made himself President.) Where a general's uniform would have made him look like a man of war and reminded Indians that he was the mastermind behind Kargil, civilian togs gave him the appearance of a seeker of peace. This didn't go down very well back in Pakistan, where military and religious hard-liners worried that their standard-bearer might be growing soft, and might abandon the decades-old quest for Kashmir. But Musharraf redeemed himself in their eyes by walking away from the summit in a huff, without conceding an inch on Kashmir. It was, all things considered, a masterful performance by the general. If Musharraf emerged from Agra looking like a winner, it follows that Vajpayee was left to look like a loser. In his desperation to be seen as a statesman, as South Asia's peacemakers, the Indian leader chose to don rose-tinted glasses himself. Now he faces the uncomfortable task of explaining to his countrymen -- and to hard-liners within his Hindu-nationalist party -- why he allowed Musharraf to walk away smelling of roses. THE SUBCONTINENTAL DRIFT ESSAY CONTEST, 2001. Next month, India and Pakistan will complete 54 years of independence. To commemorate the occasion, I invite you to share your views on the progress each country has made in these five-and-some decades. In 350 words, tell me about India's or Pakistan's single greatest achievement. You can choose from any field of endeavor: social development, politics, sport or business. In early August, I will pick two winners. Their submissions will be reproduced in this column. All entries must be in English, and must be accompanied by the entrant's full name and postal address. Please note that the word limit is binding: any entry in excess of 350 words will automatically be disqualified. Click here to submit your entry

Re: Essay Contest--Get your column published in Time! Anyone up for it? I am!
Nazia
07/23/01 at 12:06:54
slm, Yo saleema, Thats tight...you have anymore info? Where would I send it etc?  Are you doing Paki's greatest achievement?  Have you thought of one?? haha..no I'm not stealing ideas here...just curious! :) Take Care.. Wassalam, Nazia

Re: Essay Contest--Get your column published in Time! Anyone up for it? I am!
Saleema
07/23/01 at 22:58:07
[slm] LOL Nazia.  :D I can't think of any achivements that pakistan has made. I'm thinking the of the atomic bomb? :) [wlm] Saleema www.time.com they have more info on there. u will have to do a search by the author's name or the word "pakistan" [wlm] Saleema

Re: Essay Contest--Get your column published in Time! Anyone up for it? I am!
Nazia
07/24/01 at 13:04:45
slm, I know!! I couldn't really think of much.  You see to me, there is a huge difference between an "achievement" and a "completion of a task."  An achievement would be something that helped the people--but not necessarily in the way they expected to be helped.  For example, the GREATEST achievement for Pakistan would have been to establish a true Islamic government, because that was the stated goal of the partition.  That, as we all know, did not happen. Actually, you know, come to think of it, I don't even know if that WAS the stated goal of the partition?  Does anyone really know?  I heard that even Maulana Maudidi was against it initially, but went ahead and backed it because it was inevitable, and I suppose he wanted to side with the Muslims.  Yesterday I was talking to an Indian Muslim and she is anti anyone who is pro-pakistani.  So I asked her what she meant by that.  And basically she said, that Pakistanis shouldn't look down on the Muslims who didn't migrate--and they usually do.  She also said that we can all see that Pakistan hasn't accomplished the "goal" it set out to accomplish, so they very well could have been better off with India--but now we'll never know.  And to that I obviously responded that "if we hadn't separated, we'd obviously NEVER know how that would have worked either--duh" :) so that's not really even an argument.  But what would be an argument?  Any ideas? I have never been PRO-Pakistani.  I have always been just plain ol Pakistani.  But because it is where my beloved gradparents and relatives live, I do feel kind of irked when everyone is sooo ready to diss it.  I mean no doubt, the country doesn't deserve much praise, I never give it any props.. ;)  But everyone is always all, "Stupid Pakistanis this... " and "Arrogant Pakistanis that.." I mean really--what gives?  Because obviously by putting down Pakistani pride, you are inherently tooting the horn of your own country...and how is that any better than the behavior you are shunning? The idea of nationalism shouldn't exist for Muslims..period.  But in the subcontinent--why is it extra bad for Pakistanis?  Its not like "white-pride", we're not the KKK! :) Anyways, unfortunately, I don't know enough of the history to argue either side, but thats' not really my point.  I'm just wondering why pakistanis are the black sheep of the subcontinent... maybe they deserve it...but maybe they don't...and as Muslims, we should help and stand by each other rather than join the hindus and bhuddists put us down... United we will rise, divided we will fall... right? :) Take Care, Nazia

Re: Essay Contest--Get your column published in Time! Anyone up for it? I am!
Saleema
07/24/01 at 22:33:14
I mean no doubt, the country doesn't deserve much praise, I never give it any props.. It doesn't deserve much but it deserves at least *some* praise. They did do a lot of good things and they are trying just like any other Muslim country trying to struggle between kufar and Islam. I think that Pakistan's greatest achievement was it's use  of sophisticated army in less than a decade. But then if you think about it, at what cost? At the cost of creating poverty? But then you have look at it from another point, that of national security. So.... I don't know how to justify both of these... And the same goes for India. But I have given up on the idea. I don't want to deal with this. It will hurt my brain.  :) Right now I am busy with other things. There are some Muslims in India that are happy with it, there are some Muslims in India that aren't happy with it and they suffered a lot. Some Indian Muslim wrote about his family's trubulations some time ago in the Ummah Center. My mom tells me that her neighbors in Pakistan would not have been able to come out alive from India had it not been for some Sikhs who hid them in thier wagons and brought them near the border of Pakistan. Maybe your friend was of those who were fortunate enough to not have suffered at the hands of other. Not everyone was that fortunate. My weekened Islamic school teacher said that when she was living in India and Muslim-Hindu riots would take place their Hindu neighbors would hide them in their homes. There is a very small Hindu community back home and they live in peace with us. There are some people on both sides that behaved unethically and still do. But then there are cases where both peoples respected each other and helped each other. My grandfather by the way, fought in the war when Pakistan split away from India. But he also helped some Hindus to escape to India. [wlm] Saleema

Re: Essay Contest--Get your column published in Time! Anyone up for it? I am!
Anik
07/25/01 at 01:52:40
A.A. I think India's greatest achievement is picking back up from British raj... asalaamu alaikum. abdullah,.
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