Opinion Befriend Pakistan

My favourite Pakistani columnist those days was one who only used the pen name ‘Lahori’. He wrote in Dawn,the newspaper for which Asif works. Those being the years of Zia-ul-Haq’s military dictatorship,it wasn’t easy for Pakistani writers to criticise their government. Nevertheless,‘Lahori’ had shown rare courage in questioning the decision of his government to reprimand a Pakistani embassy in a Gulf country for having invited Lata Mangeshkar,who happened to be visiting the country then,to give a concert before a mixed audience of Pakistanis,Indians and others. His argument went something like this: “Music unites people across national,religious and ethnic boundaries. It is impossible to divide the subcontinent’s musical tradition into exclusively Pakistani and Indian genres. Doesn’t Lata Mangeshkar belong as much to Pakistan as Mehdi Hasan belongs to India?”

Asif has done well to reproduce in his book a letter that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had written to Mehdi Hasan in 2001,when the singer was critically ill. Atalji recalled how Mehdi Hasan had entranced him and his guests at a concert that he had organised at his official residence in New Delhi in 1978. As our then external affairs minister,Atalji’s sincere efforts to normalise India-Pakistan relations are admiringly remembered by old-timers even now. In his letter,Atalji appreciated Mehdi Hasan’s statement: “Music and poetry know no boundaries. Jo haq Pakistaniyon ko meri ghazalon pe hai,vohi haq Hindustaniyon ko bhi hai. Unhon ne mujhe kum pyaar naheen diya.” Wishing him speedy recovery,Atalji concluded his letter by saying,“I hope that you will be able to come to India again and visit Luna in Rajasthan,the village of your birth. I’ll be too happy to welcome you to my home once again.”

Every time I revisit my collection of Mehdi Hasan,I feel a sense of obligation to contribute to the creation of an atmosphere of friendship and goodwill between India and Pakistan. The number of people who feel likewise on both sides of the border is countless. However,our task is not easy. We frequently encounter events that cause an upsurge of negative sentiments about Pakistan in India—and vice versa. The latest such event is the killing of Osama bin Laden by the American forces in Abbottabad. Undoubtedly,Osama was evil. He was being protected by sections of Pakistan’s ruling establishment. Islamabad’s double-faced and diabolical strategy in dealing with the menace of terrorism and religious extremism is no longer hidden from anybody. It is indeed taking a heavy toll on Pakistani society itself.

All this is true. However,what is expected from the society and government in India is an unwavering show,borne of enlightened self-interest,of maturity,patience,farsightedness and,of course,firmness in dealing with terrorism—of both cross-border and domestic varieties. In particular,we must recognise the split personality of both the society and government in Pakistan,at the root of which is the artificially created and sustained hatred for,and fear about,India. It is our duty to try and weaken this hatred and fear by befriending the pro-India constituency in Pakistan (and also in Bangladesh),which is by no means small or inconsequential. This requires a long-term and transparent strategy. Sadly,India’s approach to dealing with Pakistan is so heavily dependent on our political,diplomatic,security and shrill sections of the media establishments that there is very little place in it for the deeper-acting influence of art,culture and spirituality. Even if we spend just 10 per cent of our ballooning defence expenditure on promoting friendly people-to-people contacts with our neighbouring countries (including China),and on strengthening the millennia-old resources that constitute India’s inestimable soft power,the benefits in the long-term would be of a kind that will not only heal the wounds of history but also transform history itself.

What better way to end this tribute to Mehdi Hasan other than by reproducing the first four lines from an affectionate poem that Gulzar has penned for the Shahenshah of ghazals in Asif’s book?

Aankhon ko visa naheen lagta/Sapnon ki sarhad hoti naeen/Bund aankhon se roz mein sarhad paar chala jaata hoon milne/Mehdi Hasan se.

sudheenkulkarni@gmail.com