‘THE’ DIFFERENCE !

 

T HE difference is more than obvious -- between the all party delegations from India to dozens of countries across the world to highlight the importance of “Operation Sindoor” and the high-level delegation Pakistan has despatched to the United States and Russia to state its side of the conflict. The first difference even a street urchin will note is that Pakistan is acting like a copy-cat while the Indian idea of launching its campaign is original -- and in proving to be highly effective. Much before Pakistan even thought of the delegation idea, its own leadership has made contradictory statements that would confuse anybody about what actually happened in “OperationSindoor”.ThePakistani leadership -- political and military -- is on record accepting defeat, while in sharp contrast, the Indian assertion of facts about “Operation Sindoor” and its reason has been crystal-clear and without any chance of confusion in anybody’s mind. The world is smart enough tonoticethePakistanidouble-standardsandtheIndianfocus.

 

And, even before the Pakistani delegation would arrive either in Russia or in the United States, the Indian delegation will have done its job fully well. So, all the Pakistani delegation will have to do is to somehow try to tell its side of the story toaworldthatisunwillingtogetconvincedaboutthePakistani stand -- on issues such as “Operation Sindoor” or terror. The world also knows that while Pakistani democracy is a sham--beingplayedunderthemilitarygaze--Indiandemocracy is a genuine, vibrant system run by the people, of the people and for the people where the military has no role other than strategic presence and action as per the will of the State.Inother words, inPakistan, democracy is a hand-maiden of the military junta, while in India it is the condition in which the nation lives and thrives. The world has already known this stark difference between India and Pakistan. Though Pakistan has said that its delegation, too, is an allparty affair, the world knows that when a leader such as formerPrimeMinister Mr.Imran Khan the country cannot claim to be sending the ‘all-party’ tag makes little sense. In sharp contrast, all the Indian delegations now moving around the world, are being represented by every possible political party and ideology.

 

The leaders or members of the Indian delegations have already proved beyond doubt in different countries that they are serving a great national cause that has impressed the world. The most critical aspect of the presentations of the leaders and members of the Indian delegations is that all of them are speaking the very same language -- though they belong to different parties and different ideologies. This aspect of pluralism of the Indian democracy often fascinates the world.In Pakistan’s case, no such achievement can even be thought of, thanks to the vice-like grip of the military on Pakistan’s affairs -- internal or international. When the national discourse of a country is so heavily influenced by the military whose enjoys larger-than-life image, then the idea of democracy is an anathema to that country. This is exactly what has been happening inPakistan all along; most political discourse is dictated by the military -- which the world has not failed to take note of. The world also has not missed the fact that though it got a military drubbing by India, Islamabad has promoted its Army chief to be a Field Marshal -- something that can happen only a country like Pakistan where the military has the last word and the last laugh, in sharp contrast with the arrangement in India. The belated deployment ofPakistani delegations, thus, will serve only a limited purpose -- particularly against the background of the great success the Indian delegations have already registered everywhere. Of course, the Pakistanis will never admit to these differences.