ALI SUKHANVER
When we talk of the present political change in Pakistan, it is not only the change of faces; it is the change of system, change of philosophy and change of traditions leading to an overall change in behaviour and attitude of the whole nation. Astonishingly this revolutionary transformation of the society is so strong that one can feel its impacts even across the borders also. Recently the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina Wajid also expressed her liking for the new democratic set-up in Pakistan by writing down a letter of congratulations to the newly elected Prime Minister of Pakistan in which she expressed her hopes for friendly relations between the two countries. She said in her letter addressing Mr. Imran Khan, “I would like to convey our best wishes for your good health. We wish that the benefits of economic progress and development under your leadership permeate all the strata of society and touch the everyday lives of the people of Pakistan. We always remain ready to work together with the countries in the region to usher in an era of continued peace, progress and prosperity and ensuring collective welfare of its people.” It is a day-light fact that Sheik Hasina has always been very hostile to Pakistan. Experts say that the hostility expressed by Sheikh Hasina against Pakistan in the past was always based on her personal grudges against Pakistan and that hostility had nothing to do with the people of Bangladesh and Pakistan. Her letter of congratulation shows that she has realized, though late, the need and importance of peace and the insignificance of hostility as well but any step heading to a positive direction is never too late. Experts are of the opinion that in spite of all her past hostility against Pakistan, Sheikh Hasina has tried to step into a new arena of cordial relationship with Pakistan. Fact of the matter is that any threat to the world-peace is a direct threat to human lives. Since the very beginning of life, we find no philosophy, political, social or religious encouraging bloodshed and massacre of human beings. Be it of a Muslim, of a Hindu or of a Christian or of someone from the Sikh or the Buddhist community, every human life is precious. People in the present day world are so caring that they don’t support even killing of animals and birds in the name of hunting. Things are really changing fast; brutality and cruelty against any living being is no where appreciated and admired but still in some societies things are still going otherwise. Indian society which is in total control of Hindu extremists is also one of such societies where human life is losing all its value and importance day by day. The Aljazeera published an analytical article of Pavan Malreddy & Ashok Kumbamu recently on 30th August 2018 with the title ‘Why are the Indian authorities afraid of a ‘half-Maoist?’ This article refers to the arrest and life imprisonment of a wheelchair-bound professor, GN Saibaba who was pushed behind the bars by the brutally blind courts of India just because at the time of his arrest some material in favour of the Maoist movement was recovered from his home in form of a few hard disks, CDs, DVDs and pen drives. This recovery ‘proved’ professor’s connections with Maoist revolutionaries, said the investigators. How ironical is the fact that a person who is so helpless that he could not even move his body freely became a threat to the existence of the shining India ; a country well-known for its advocacy of freedom and liberty of expression.
Atrocities of the Indian government against the Maoists and other protesting groups are reaching a horrible climax. According to a report, only in June 2018, five Dalit rights activists were arrested under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act commonly known as UAPA. It is an irony that they were blamed of inciting violence against their own Dalit community which they are fighting for. UAPA is simply a merciless law which enables the prosecution of Indian citizens merely on the basis of their thoughts and ideology, not necessarily for any actual crimes they might have committed. The report says that every month dozens of Muslims and Dalits have to face live burnings and public lynching by the so-called cow-protection vigilant groups, most notably in the BJP-ruled states of Maharashtra, Haryana and Gujarat. The Maoists are being treated as terrorists though legally they all are Indian nationals. It seems that the BJP government has issued orders of ‘see and shoot’ every Maoist. Time and again fake encounters are staged and innocent Maoists are mercilessly murdered. Last April Indian Security Forces staged a fake-encounter of the same type in district Gadchiroli in which 39 Maoists were killed brutally. It has become almost impossible for the BJP government to crush this communist movement and the only option it is left with is a large-scale genocide of the Maoists or Naxalites. The BJP government is applying the same method there in the Occupied Jammu and Kashmir also. International peace-keepers must pay attention to this painful situation.