I’ve been to Bombay, Jaipur and Delhi — as a tourist, and for a literary festival. I’m always treated very warmly in India says Fatima Bhutto
Fatima Bhutto spoke to DNA about Pakistan’s chequered relationship with India.
Excerpts:
On whether Pakistan can learn from Indian democracy: To say that we must learn from India or that India learns from us is to assume that one of us is dong the right thing or that one of us better than the other. I don’t think we can say that. Pakistanis and Indians are siblings and we have a lot to share.
On whether Pakistan, grappling with jihadi terror, has reason to regret its policy on Kashmir: India has its views on Kashmir, and Pakistan believes the Indian state inflicts terrorism on Kashmir. It’s a very contentious issue. At the moment, for civil society, the India-Pakistan Peace Forum offers the best avenue for peace, where writers and thinkers come together on a non-governmental forum and discuss things like Kashmir… That’s the way to do it.
On the difficulty in articulating the secular Muslim view in Pakistan today:
I’m a secular humanist. I am a Muslim, but my religion is very personal… In Pakistan today, there are many kinds of voices. We have orthodox Muslims — Sunni, Shia — and we have moderate Muslims, we have the voice of what Musharraf calls ‘enlightened moderation’… We are a Muslim country, and proud to be one, but we express our religion in different ways. So long as we have freedom to do that and it exists for everybody, it’s fine. If people want to express their religion strictly, if they would like to wear a burqa, they should be allowed to.
On the influence of the new media in Pakistan today: It’s phenomenal. I think we beat India. If you look at regional media plus national media, it is very professional, very brave.
On her experiences in India. I’ve been to Bombay, Jaipur and Delhi — as a tourist, and for a literary festival. I’m always treated very warmly in India, and I’ve had some wonderful times there. I hope more Pakistanis and Indians can see each other and talk to each other.
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