On Wednesday 15 Aug 2007 12:57 pm, Ingrid wrote: > He's in today's NYT, saying, among other things: > > http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/15/opinion/15guha.html?th&emc=th > > Despite their shared culture, cuisine and love for the game of cricket, > India and Pakistan have already fought four wars. And judging by the number > of troops on their borders and the missiles and nuclear weapons to back > them, they seem prepared to fight a fifth.
Well A few errors of omission in his statements. India is technically at war with Pakistan even now, although a lot of people deny it or play it down. A colonel from Bangalore was killed in action about 2-3 weeks ago when our Prime Minister was busy losing sleep over Haneef in Oz, and everyone was feeling sorry about Sanjay Dutt's sentencing. That colonel received a posthumous award today. India Pakistan wars: 1) 1947-48 2) 1965 3) 1971 4) 1984 - ongoing - over Siachen 5) 1980 onwards - ongoing - infiltration of terrorists (with artillery support until 2002) 6) 1999 over Kargil Periods that involved warlike mobilization but no war 1)1986-87 Operation Brasstacks 2) 2002 It is a matter of semantics and geopolitics that fighting involving the infiltration of terrorists was not called "war" until it became fashionable to do so when the US entered Afghanistan. It is now called "war" and specifically "asymmetric warfare". If you study the wars that have been fought - it could be said that the troops on the borders have prevented war, rather than provoked war. Ram Guha's gushing acceptance of "shared" Pakistani culture and cuisine is a result of his having schooled in Dehra Dun and having lived in Delhi. Not too many South Indians would have accepted a "shared culture and cuisine" with Pakistanis until a decade or two ago, but attitudes are changing. I still occasionally find women in Bangalore who speak of the Salwar Kameez as an Islamic dress. "Love of Cricket" is a strawman reason. Of all the nations that love cricket, India is not in a state of war with the majority. shiv
