TRUTH'S OUT !
| Date :29-Sep-2019 |
WHEN Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi talked of harmony and peace as the necessary conditions for genuine development of the family of man in times changing via technology and how nations can respond constructively and unitedly to the scourge of terror, Pakistan Prime Minister Mr. Imran Khan issued threats of nuclear war and supported radicalisation and picking up of the gun and bloodbath, at the United Nations General Assembly, in the process shocking not just the member-nations but also the entire world. If Mr. Modi talked of omnibus development of people in all layers of humanity in an arena unsegmented by national boundaries as the only imperative, Mr. Imran Khan talked of segmentation of the world family in the form of Muslims versus others. If Mr. Modi talked of peace, Mr. Khan used words like ‘pogrom’. If Mr. Modi talked of harmony, Mr. Imran Khan suggested hate as his tool. If Mr. Modi’s voice communicated a sense of assurance that the world can be bound by bonds of love and multilateralism, Mr. Khan suggested a medieval mindset.
The world did not miss this sharp contrast. The world did not miss the difference between statesmanship of Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi and the brinkmanship of Mr. Imran Khan who indulged in a blatant abuse and misuse of the maiden opportunity to connect with the world in the best platform of peace available to anybody. India did the best in using the ‘right-to-reply’ facility and fielding Ms. Vidisha Maitra, a young and promising diplomat, to debunk Mr. Imran Khan’s hate speech. And the world will never miss to notice the difference between the Indian approach as against that of Mr. Imran Khan. Even when the Indian diplomat was denouncing the speech that was a blatant display of arrogance and shamelessness, the choice of words was sober and restrained. India asked a few pointed questions to Mr. Imran Khan -- to which Pakistan has no answers to offer.
Every word of India’s reply was used with a sense of responsibility and dignity. That India used the facility of ‘right-to-reply’ most assertively, is a matter of necessary detail, but factually speaking, the whole world had already noticed what kind of a country Pakistan has been -- rogue, sponsorer of terrorism, promoter of divisiveness, perpetrator of violence, and hater of harmony. Standing at the podium at the UNGA, Mr. Imran Khan displayed what kind of war-mongering he and his Pakistan were indulging in. In a happy contrast, Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi stood there to share his vision -- India’s vision -- of a world unified by common goals and shared dreams and combined action, of a common human family inspired by togetherness and basking in happiness of development.
“Every word spoken from the podium of this august Assembly, it is believed, carries the weight of history”, India’s right-to-reply statement said. Every word Mr. Modi uttered in his short 18-minute speech reflected that sense and weight of history. In sharp and dirty contrast, Mr. Imran Khan’s speech also proved right every word India said in continuation -- “Unfortunately, what we heard today from Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan was a callous portrayal of the world in binary terms. Us vs Then; Rich vs Poor; North vs South; Developed vs Developing; Muslims vs Others. ...”. Whatever happened at the United Nations General Assembly on September 27, 2019, was nothing but an endorsement of what India has been insisting upon for years -- about Pakistan being a Rogue State that has no commitment to a unitary world; that has no sense of responsibility towards human family and its well being; that has no loyalty to the larger good. And the world did not miss the detail.
The world also did not miss other difference -- between the calm countenance of Mr. Narendra Modi and the callous contortion that shaped Mr. Imran Khan’s face. While Mr. Modi delivered with a sober smile his ideas of common concerns, common goals, and common action for a unified world, Mr. Khan delivered his speech with hatred dripping from his pursed lips and arching, angular eye-brows displaying anger (whose meaning the world just failed to understand). There is little doubt that the world carried a correct impression of the day, thanks to how with a sense of gratitude Mr. Modi used the opportunity to share his vision of the new world with the world; and how Mr. Imran Khan abused the moment. Looking back, India must thanks its stars that Mr. Imran Khan conducted himself in such an irresponsible manner. Had this not happened in this manner, the world may not have realised many things that had somehow remained concealed in the folds of time. And because the world got the opportunity to see things as they were, there would be a better understanding of the dirty realities that Pakistan betrays -- of its war-mongering, of its belief in binary terms, of its method of insanity ...! ... HOWEVER, the moment actually belonged to India and Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi who made the best use of the opportunity history offered them.
He explained how India was extending itself to offer to the millions of deprived people what they actually and rightly deserved -- good healthcare, clean and sanitised surroundings, bank accounts with reasonable sums to give a sense of assurance ...! He made a dramatic use of the statement “When a developing country runs the world’s biggest scheme to ... it offers the world a new path, a new hope ...”. And even though he was talking about what India had achieved, he was actually not talking of India as such; he was demonstrating to the world how development can become a common experience of the masses across the world -- with the help of compassion, commitment to common good, and technology. That is how History often assumes voice!