During President Clinton’s recent trip to South Asia, the news media desperately tried to treat India and Pakistan as if they were somehow on par.
This is truly a disservice to the American public. Even though they may look similar in many ways, they are worlds apart.
India is the largest democracy in the world, unlike Pakistan, which is a dictatorship. This is true not only now but to a large degree has been the case for the past 50 years, since India gained independence.
To call India a Hindu country is entirely erroneous. Even though a Muslim nation was carved out of India, the Indian people decided to establish a pluralistic secular country. President Clinton, in his address to the Indian Parliament, did pay homage to this aspect of India. India is not only the birthplace of Hinduism but Buddhism and Jainism as well. In fact Christianity came to India, with St. Thomas, long before it even spread to Europe.
The Muslim population of India is larger than the entire Muslim population of Pakistan. Pakistan on the other hand is a virtual theocracy where Islam is the state religion.
It is said that “history is geography over time.” Since India and Pakistan came into being as independent countries, India with its multiple languages, religions and races has remained one country whereas Pakistan lost more than half the country (East Pakistan) in 1971. This subsequently came to be known as Bangladesh.
During the birth of Bangladesh, the atrocities committed by the Pakistani army on Bangladeshi people ranked with the “ethnic cleansing” by the Serb army in Kosovo.
The Indian economy, especially in the field of computer software, has been booming, whereas Pakistan is literally on the edge of bankruptcy.
Pakistan has become so infested with terrorists that Clinton was advised by the Secret Service that it was way too dangerous to stop for anything longer than a brief visit to Islamabad.
