Cultural exchange is a key victim of rising tensions in South Asia
Ihave always had a thing for Pakistan’s television dramas. I love them for their engrossing storytelling and superb performances. And it’s not just me. Much of India instantly fell in love with them when the Zindagi television network started showing these programmes three years ago. What made this a true phenomenon was the fact that India and Pakistan have been at political loggerheads for the better part of 70 years.
One obvious victim of the recent rising tensions has been the cultural exchange or people- to- people relations. Zindagi has scrapped all Pakistani soaps. Announcing the decision in the “national interest”, Subhash Chandra of Zee group, which owns Zindagi, asked all Pakistani artists to leave the country.
On a larger scale, Bollywood has banned all Pakistani artists, including immensely popular stars such as Fawad and Mahira Khan. Hindutva groups have threatened to burn down cinemas that screen films featuring Pakistani artists.
Karan Johar’s much awaited blockbuster Aye Dil Hai Mush- kil, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Fawad Khan, ran into rough seas with Hindutva groups issuing threats against the film and the filmmaker.
Uncertainty prevailed over the film’s release for weeks until Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra’s chief minister, intervened. As a “compromise”, Johar was persuaded to donate Rs50 million ( Dh2.7m) to the Indian army relief fund. Johar also toned down and changed the narrative of his film, which was supposed to have been an India-Pakistan love story.
Beyond the cultural sphere, relations between the two countries have unravelled rather fast in the past couple of years. India has blamed Pakistan-based militant groups for the attack on the Uri military base in Kashmir in September, which killed 19 Indian soldiers.
Within days of the Uri attack, India claimed to have carried out “surgical strikes” inside Kashmir, inflicting “significant losses” on the enemy.
In a controversial speech, Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, drew parallels with Israeli strikes against Palestinian militants. Mr Modi has repeatedly vowed to “isolate” Pakistan internationally, projecting it as the source of all evil and “mother ship of terror”.
The Indian media cheered the strikes, calling them a strategic masterstroke.
But if New Delhi thought the surgical strikes would put an end to all troubles along the border and militant attacks, it seems to have been wrong.
Over the past few weeks there has been a spurt in India-Pakistan clashes and exchanges of fire along the border. Since the much trumpeted strikes, at least 18 Indian soldiers have been killed. Of course, there have been casualties on the Pakistani side as well, not to mention the incalculable price paid by the civilian population along the border on both sides. What is most disturbing about this whole business is the danger of this conflict along the line of control degenerating into a greater catastrophe. Where is it all going to end? Former US president Bill Clinton once called South Asia “the most dangerous place on Earth”. Today, it looks even more dangerous and volatile, if that is possible. Away from the attention of the global media and the world community, India and Pakistan are fast hurtling towards the precipice.
‘ Over the past few weeks there has been a spurt in India-Pakistan clashes and exchanges of fire along the border