Aman belongs to the strong and independent Message from Tarun Vijay, Director, Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation, BJP Head Quarters, New Delhi

Peace belongs to those who are powerful and independent decision makers. Not to those who fight with their brothers and depend on dollars to live and make merry in New York. They can be subjugated souls, create wars and hold 'Track Two' dramas taking money for their scotches and Vodkas but can never ever touch the pulse of the people who survive on corn and rice.

India and Pakistan might be two countries, but they are one people and one culture. I have seen it with my eyes while visiting Pakistan seven times from Taxila to Balochistan.

If the white man's mischief was not so strong, playing havoc with our land and people, we would be living much more happily and with peace. Aman ki Asha must mean two independent entities, willing to talk and resolve their conflicts at the negotiating table with full power in their own houses. Two powers who are in control of their destinies and have a mechanism that can effectively control the elements they dislike. The people of Pakistan and India want Aman; they hate the hostilities.

From Barmer border to Mirpurkhas and Karachi and Hingol on Gwadar highway, I saw common people lined up to welcome us - when we visited the renowned and highly revered Hindu shrine Mata Hinglaj Mandir with Shri Jaswant Singh, an ardent Devi Bhakta. These were not dramatics by the government. It was for real and very genuine. I wrote the exact scenes in Panchjanya on my return, a newspaper run by those who believe in RSS. Readers were amazed but none complained why I wrote good, positive reflections about Pakistanis. I was able to complete my preparations with help from my best friend, who symbolizes the friendly spirit of Pakistan, Mahmood Shaam. I can anytime give my blank cheque to him and accept his verdict. Such is my faith in him.

But when Kasabs come to Mumbai and hateful 'taliban' run amok, the trust shatters and walls are created. How can you do that and still want peace with us? Just for some mad heads? In a situation when many Pakistanis are also feeling enraged over the extremism and violence, it's time for the cultural roots to take precedence over everything else. Why should we feel shy to accept we are one people, two countries? Why shouldn't we think what stoking fires in Kashmir has given Pakistan? Is it not the right time to rethink and reshape its domestic policies and concentrate on making Pakistanis happier, more literate, more enterprising and empowering socially disadvantaged sections? Why can't Pakistani rulers think that their best friend can be India alone? China or America extract their price of support. How can anyone else be closer to Pakistan as we can, so naturally? But the hatred for Hindus, which is at the base of anything that emerges from Pakistan against India, must be shunned. It has not helped Pakistan. A smaller country, it could have developed into a haven, with its rich resources and industrious manpower. But it has gone into a pit of bombs and bomb makers and no one knows who is ruling it. And look where India with its Hindu majority and liberal ideas has reached. We would like you to come along as equal friend. Think why Pakistan has missed the bus of future.

We are brothers, blood brothers, try to behave like sons of the same mother and with the blessings of Allah and Ram ji, we shall together emerge as the greatest power on this earth. Revive the spirit of 1857, remember Dahir belongs to us all; Mohenjodaro and Panini are a shared legacy. We are you and you are us.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Heart, health, youth and more The Aman ki Asha and Rotary partnership has tremendous potential, not just in terms of helping those in need but also building trust across borders

At a gro .....more

India, Pakistan and the Class of '74 Aseem Chhabra
There is an old black and white photograph on my Facebook profile page, taken perhaps in 1965. It is a photograph from my kindergarten class, on .....more

AMAN KI ASHA BOOKSHELF We include books in this section that we believe further the cause of peace and understanding between Pakistan and India

Humanity amidst Insanity
.....more

Pakistani pilot writes after 46 years to daughter of Indian pilot he shot down Beena Sarwar
Nearly half-a-century after shooting down an Indian civil aircraft under orders during the 1965 war with India, a Pakistan Air Force pilot has sent .....more

The cost of crossing the 'love' border
Ilmana Fasih
For years after the Indian Consulate in Karachi was closed down, a cousin of mine (an Indian married to a Pakistani) whose parents live in Jaip .....more

Healing touch: Indian, Pakistani doctors join hands on key issues At the Aman ki Asha Health Committee meeting in New Delhi, participants unanimously envisioned health as a catalyst for peace

A meeting of the Aman ki Asha .....more