After a busy marathon of many activities including a 40 km route march with 12 kg load ,16 km cross country race and heavy doze of written examinations i finally managed to find time to read this book 'India vs Pakistan - why cant we just be friends' written by Hussain Haqqani, a former Pakistan ambassador to US. This book is yet another book written in bulk by many 'liberal' intellectuals living in the fantasy of a light year ahead Indo-Pakistan El dorado.
This book is not for academic purpose but for the common public of Pakistan. The writer rues that Pakistan instead of bettering relations with India continues to harbor and sponsor terrorist groups against India.
He claims that there is a fault in the DNA of Pakistan itself. Its future has been hijacked by its military since its independence. At the time of Independence Pakistan received 30% of British Indian Army which was huge compared to its size. Pakistan resources were disproportionately diverted to sustain this huge monster and the anti-India and anti-Hindu policy fueled and channelized the frenzy of the Pakistan people at large. Kashmir acted as a catalyst.
After 1962 war between India and China, under US influence there were more than 6 rounds of talks between India and Pakistan over Kashmir between Sardar Swaran Singh and Zulfikar Bhutto (both ministers of respective countries) in 1963. India offered 1500 square miles of territory to Pakistan but Pakistan rejected the offer. In one talk when Bhutto was asked about Pakistan's position of Kashmir then he got up and made a tiny circle in Jammu region and told Indian counterpart that you can keep this the rest is ours. This attitude of Pakistan scuttled the talks.
The writer also claims that India suffered heavy losses compared to Pakistan in 1965 war. Immediately after 1971 embarrassment Bhutto asked his scientists and military to start building the nuclear bomb and in that A Q Khan played the major role. Writer blames military's visceral hatred of India as the major stumbling block between friendship.
Its a light book and can be read in bus or train journey, not even 200 pages.
Recommended (7/10)
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