Pak-Kashmir-India-Quake

Last night I got talking to KAy, a brilliant, absolutely brilliant, photographer and thinker from Pakistan. It's she and her circle, and their blogs which surprise me. That hello... normal, cool, just-like-us people exist out there too. Peple who go to fantastic looking colleges, wear the trendiest of clothes, speak and write good english, think that their politicians are fuck ups, detest corruption and the slums.

They're just like us.

She had posted (in her own unique style) about the quake. I commented and it came out without much thinking: "It's high time Pakistan saw this upclose and personal."

She took a little bit of offense at that, rightfully.

Well, like I said, they're just like us. Proud of their country, of their flag, can't hear a word against it.

But honestly, I don't hate Muslims or Pakistan. But somewhere, deep down, whether we admit to it or not, ever, Pakistan has caused us pain, does make every Indian angry when they slyly creep into our borders to kill and try to conquer.

Sure, you can't blame everyone for it. Most people living in there are normal just like you and me who stay away from the borders, the politics.

But still, I don't know about you, it somehow pinches me when I see a Pakistani being so proud of being a Pakistani. Get my point?

After all, Pakistan was a part of India man. And that too not very long ago.

KAy wrote: "no i dont believe india and pakistan could ever be one and no i don't believe they could have stayed One nation. it is humanly impossible for two countires with such huge religious differences to remain ONE nation.We cannot compromise on our month of sacrafise and slaughter cows ...something Hindus WORSHIP. understandably there HAD to be a need for seperation because even if we WERE tolerant how tolerant can EVERYONE be? some Hindu is bound to get pissed off at the slaughtering and some Muslim is bound to react to that reaction ....there is ultimatley more peace in doing what we do in our own countries rather than despising eachother on the same soil."

Well, before we both stayed together, didn't we? We were at peace. Both sides respected each other's beliefs and religions. Sure, there were a few grudges, a few fights, but hell, we were united. Until the Britishers put a little bit of fuel in the middle - the divide and rule policy.

I once said, I am not the wall that divides. I am a crack in that wall. I maintain it. And somehow, I feel really strongly that Allah's with me on this one.

He probably just shook the Pakistan-Kashmir wall up a little.

I'm sad for those who had to die - the innocent kids, the poor men and women. But, it was inevitable.

When a change as big as this suddenly begins, disaster is bound to be part of it.