Welcome remarks
The seasoned Congress leader and India’s well-known dove Mani Shankar Aiyarhas made some bold remarks at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank. He has reminded his countrymen that it is time to change how they view Pakistan. Citing the recent developments in Pakistan, he has rightly pointed out that Pakistani public opinion and its political discourse does not view India as an enemy. More importantly, the generations, which witnessed the horrors of the 1947 Partition, have given way to a younger population, which has a different set of aspirations.
Mr Aiyar’s statement must be welcomed on both sides of the border. Such voices of sanity must be heard and especially his correct perception that the “visceral anti-Indianism of a previous generation is almost out of the picture now”. He also challenged the orthodox perceptions in India that “since the Pakistanis have been hostile in the past, they are necessarily hostile now.” While Aiyar’s detractors will refute these assertions, the objective conditions in Pakistan lend much credence to his point of view.
During the May 2013 elections, India and the Kashmir issue barely figured in the electoral campaigns. Not a single political party raised India as a bogey, as Pakistan has witnessed a rare consensus on moving ahead with the peace process. Even the right-wing political parties are committed to this goal. Similarly, most of Pakistan’s business lobbies are also tilted in favour of extending trade ties with their Indian counterparts. Last year’s progress has already impacted the trade volume as the recent figures record a noticeable surge. Lastly, Pakistan’s powerful military has prodded along this civilian consensus and appears to be on board in terms of improving ties with India.
Aiyar also spoke of the challenges that Nawaz Sharif may face and cited his previous record in office. His prognosis on the way forward once again is spot-on. The best way forward is to ensure that there is “uninterrupted and uninterruptible” dialogue between India and Pakistan.
We hope that Mr Aiyar’s remarks are also heard in India and the democratic impulses of its citizens are noted. It is time to shed the stereotypes about Pakistan as India’s enemy.
Trouble in Turkey
Turkey has, for some days now, been caught up in a wave of violence as protesters take to the streets to make their feelings known against the policies of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The rallies and meetings, often organised by young people over the social media, have spread across the country, with another demonstration staged by trade union workers on June 5 in Istanbul.
This time, less violence was used than before, with the deputy prime minister making an apology for previous attacks on protesters using rubber bullets and other weapons. However, those engaged in raising their voices against Mr Erdogan’s government maintain the gesture is a merely cosmetic one. The initial protests were directed against the bulldozing of a park in Istanbul in order to construct a shopping mall in its place. The highhanded response by the authorities to this protest resulted in them spreading across the country and people demonstrating against other alleged repressive policies of the Erdogan government, including attempts to enforce a stricter religious code in a country, which is constitutionally secular. Secularism is a tradition Turkey has held onto for a very long time and over which many in the country pride themselves.
Mr Erdogan has appealed to people to remove themselves from the streets and instead, wait for elections next year. Of course, peaceful means are best to settle disputes. But it has become clear that many in Turkey vehemently oppose Mr Erdogan’s approach. The government would do well to tackle the situation with calm. Force will only aggravate matters and add to the anger running through Turkey, worsening the situation. The Erdogan government needs to demonstrate that it has the ability to sort out problems with acumen and show respect for the wishes of all groups in a currently troubled nation. It is necessary that it succeed before further damage is caused and there is a growth in rage.
‘O’ level exam leak
The leak of ‘O’ level and IGCSE exam papers has cast doubt on the credibility of the Cambridge International Examinations (CIE). Although details of what happened are as still murky, it seems that a security breach caused the Pakistan Studies and Islamiat papers offered to students on May 7, 9, 14 and 15 to leak. The two exams will now be held again on June 13 and 14, according to the CIE. Students in Pakistan have vehemently protested against the CIE’s decision to retest them, especially since initial reports said that the leak had not occurred in Pakistan. Many of the students had already left the country for vacations and it seemed unfair to make them pay for the CIE’s carelessness. However, the CIE Chief Executive, Micheal Sullivan, said on June 5 that some students in Pakistan had indeed seen the paper, which makes a retake of the exam necessary in order to maintain the integrity of the exam and ensure that the result given to students is valid.
Around 30,000 students in Pakistan are affected by this, a substantial number, and many are now questioning whether there is any difference in sitting for a CIE exam versus one from the local Inter/Matric system, which is notorious for leaked papers and brazen cheating. These exams are one of UK’s main exports, since they come with a credibility often lacking in different countries’ local exam boards.
The CIE has taken full responsibility for the incident, calling it “highly regrettable” and “exceptional”. The only positive side to the story is that it has offered students a host of options: they may retake the papers in June, or in November, or opt for a full refund and not take them at all. However, it needs to clarify how the lapse occurred and take steps to rectify the problem. Students spend years preparing for these exams and they are part of their permanent academic records. The CIE needs to conduct them more efficiently.