PAKISTAN--AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH 2011

BIKASH CHOUDHURY


Back Ground: India and Pakistan due to compelling historical factors spend over 50% of their mind space and resources on foreign policy and military might; which has continued for over six decades in spite of many near successful intervention in between these six long decades. To a lay man, it would appear that apparently we are missing one important link some where. And, important think for India is to solve the Pakistan puzzle for good to emerge as global power. Further, acceptance of fact that it require at least a long term consistent effort of ten years to turn Pakistan as a peaceful neighbor at our western borders.

Problems: Trust deficits of Pakistani Military, Weak Political Institutions of Pakistan, Competing Interests of Global Powers, ISI factor, Pakistani Media under chains, and lack of national consensus in India on how to deal with Pakistan.

Solution: Simultaneous and multiprong approach with a consistent policy of engaging all the problem makers of India-Pakistan friendship with a road map for a decade.

Tools:

* To invite top 25-50 Generals/Officers of Pakistan Military to India with their family for a private visit to explore one to one relations with their counterparts in India in an informal setting.
* Sending an Industry delegation to Pakistan to explore investment opportunity and to convince their counter parts to open trade and commerce with MFN or common market paradigm.
* Exchange of cultural delegation at least twice a year.
* Encouraging Indian media to collaborate with Pakistani media and frequent exchange of media luminaries.
* The main Idea is that we were one country for centuries and there must be some thing in common that could bury the bitterness of last half century; that need investigation, exploration with patience.
* These activities I guess may have to be pursued with minimum short term expectation and media hype.