It has been seventy years since Pakistan was formed. It has also been seventy years since it became our enemy nation. For seventy long years, these two countries have done nothing except get carried away sentimentally in the name of religion and nationhood and fight wars with each other. There is no greater foolishness than thinking that by fighting one war we can make sure there will be no more wars. No war can ever be considered “the final war.” That is why India and Pakistan must set aside local issues like Kashmir and focus on global issues.
To withstand the supremacy of the American petrodollar, even the European nations—which pulled each other’s hair and fought two world wars—set aside all their hatred and worked toward becoming a powerful economic force. They brought the Euro into the international market. They understood what can be achieved when nations, however different, come together as a unified economic strength. Because the wars of the future are economic wars, not wars fought with bombs.
But neither the people nor the political leaders of India and Pakistan care about this. Because they keep themselves isolated from the world, living as though they exist in a separate realm, they have been unable to forget the seventy-year hostility—an enmity created by the British. With their short-sightedness, they continue to exploit war for political gains and harvest votes during elections.
At a time when the American petrodollar, the Euro, and Chinese economic power are all expanding aggressively, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan—countries of the same civilizational heritage—have the potential to rise as a unified economic bloc. If possible, Iran should also be included. From the time Alexander marched from Babylonia to India, this region, this land where Aryan civilization flourished, has always been a single continuum. The hostilities we see today are only a few decades old. Their roots are the same, their ancestors are the same.
Therefore, if this region can unite once again in the era of global economic wars, it is certain that it can rise as a formidable power capable of shaping the world. But can our colonized minds think with such breadth? Even if they can think, can they put these thoughts into action? Do we have leaders with such foresight? And we, who do have the means to express our aspirations to our rulers through social media—can we think in these terms and transform our nation into a powerful economic force? Let us try.
Virinchi Virivinti
