Rhetorics across the border

Sharm-el-sheikh is famously known as the city of peace. When our Indian babus and their Paki counterparts arrive there, it wonders how it could preserve its identity. In a recent case of 'Ulta chor kotwal ko daante', Pak's Army chief Kayani cleverly dabbled in the quintessential, you-blame-me-I-blame-you-back-game. He tossed the trump card for Pak, in the decades old Indo-pak-peace negotiations, when he acceded to the need of Pak stopping the funding of infiltrators into the Indian territory. On a fleeting note, charmingly, he didn't fail to add, "By the way, India should stop messing around in Balochistan". Of course, according to Mr. Kayani, Pakistan doesn't dabble in selfish and materialistic give-and-take policies. Pak is a giver. Pak has always been a giver. The list of the tensions it has given India is endless.

A Baluch friend of mine agrees. He doesn't believe in Pakistan. But he believes in Baluchistan. He believes it deserves it freedom. At the first mention of freedom, having avoided this topic for years of our friendship now, I asked him, "S, do you think Kashmir should be given to Pak?", for the first time yesterday. He replied playfully, " Well, we wouldn't mind it if India decides to be generous" and appended an indubitable tongue-in-cheek smiley. "Lol", said I, ackowledging his humour and just when I'd decided to broach a less political topic, he added after a pregnant pause, "Well, You know what? It's quite ironic to think that Pakistan is craving for more territory when its existing territory is already torn apart from all kinds of strife. Pak today is nowhere close to what it was meant to be." He, like scores of youth in Pak today, wishes to get out of Pak. I empathise with him and add, "S, If you do decide to stick around in Pak however, there are only two places you should be- Politics or Cricket". He agrees with a 'Lol, ya!'.