State's hold on trade, commerce and economy stands rejected through the demise of USSR. The lndian experiment of protected entrepreneurship has collapsed as is evident from the disinvestment policy of the government. Open international trade has got such a boost that many European countries have practically openend their borders. Multinational companies are moving in everywhere and their slogan is "Peace is good for business". Obviously they do not invest in such regions where peace is threatened and indirectly work as a pressure group on any nation for maintenance of peace. An interesting factor has however emerged in the west, i.e. the consumption has reached a saturation point and whatever amount of advertising, it has failed to generate demand. The western companies are obviously looking for markets where they can sell theii products. They see lndian sub-continent has a big potential for their products. Economic zones are fast developing like ECM and ASEAN etc. and they have banned further entries. lf the nations of the sub-continent are to survive economically they will have to come out on a collective platform. Mian Nawaz Sharief recently speaking at Dhaka had hinted at such a necessity while Mr. Gujral also felt the need of such a dialogue with Pakistan.
Accordingly a Swedish intellectual of Pakistan origin has a firm belief that a time in a few years will come when this type of free trade between lndia and Pakistan will bring the otherwise two hostile brothers together. The scholar MR. ASIF SYED SHAHKAR tells Dr. UMA ARORA that the Sikhs ardas of "khule darshan ate sewa sambal da dan" is being conceded by the Allah Waheguru very shortly, perhaps within 10 years.
(Note: Sorry the machine typing (OCR) was giving too many errors we have thus posted the images of pages)
Accordingly a Swedish intellectual of Pakistan origin has a firm belief that a time in a few years will come when this type of free trade between lndia and Pakistan will bring the otherwise two hostile brothers together. The scholar MR. ASIF SYED SHAHKAR tells Dr. UMA ARORA that the Sikhs ardas of "khule darshan ate sewa sambal da dan" is being conceded by the Allah Waheguru very shortly, perhaps within 10 years.
(Note: Sorry the machine typing (OCR) was giving too many errors we have thus posted the images of pages)
/'.: you f.c r Kalanaur?" in.r,,f es an al,l l1]an to each person ' i.riitrl ifcrn 1t)rj k)r!y which has just ii|, ! cii fr()itt Lanor i I tllltgtng pilgrimsto i.i lil...lla SalIb. [].rrely ffanaging to !:!ri.i oo his leqs h.Jldrng on to the arm :1 r'r's;iirL,ady rrritated grandson the ocl j.r'., i :-r., pleads to wait for another k-,IV. 1.,.rri ri alLrllan] !,lho has just ascendrid lrJr!r lho- lr)try, answer$ in the "f:rntativr l,-re old rllan's Joy knows no lrir[nr]s. i1e lhilnks Allah hugs Gurnam r,,llr is much force as he can muster .. J willt tt,.rr s Sl, eatrrtl!j dCWn htS Wrin".i,. ::.iace Utqt.rtres aboUt the land he had .ll li;ilf;r cenluty ago. (,rr thrs srde ofthe border too we ,riv.,.ur old people becoming nostal
gic about the land they were born on but had to leave under desperate circumstances. ln theirhearts cuddles an urge to visit their birth ptace al ieasl once rn lheir lifetime. The communal bloody carnage thatdivided the sub -continent has become history. -foday fervent hopes and desires are cherished to be able to communicate with the people across lhe border. With the prime Ministers of both lndia and Pakistan hopeful of congenial relations a time can be envisaged when borders willfinally mean to be whal they really should, a mere political boundary. ln fact Prime Minrster Gujral is optimistic that Pakistan would shed its reluctance to improve trade and business relations which would eventually pave the
way for better neighbouring relations to reduce tensions. Can it really happerr? Can we visit the l;rnd of our forefathers without any fear? is it possible thal we will be able to welcorr-ie the people from across the border in our homes just as our grand parents did uuitirout a qualm or animosity? Such questrons have become inevitahle since a possrbility has arisen r.vherein economic conrpulsions will inI 'duce the politicians of the subcorrtinent to resolve the confhct and open borders for easier movement arrd better trade relations. ' UJe have one history, similar culturalroots anci perhaps same forefathers but at a turn rn history we divrdcJ oirrselves in two separate natiolrs closrng out allwindows and possibrlitres for cornmunication. Now hrstory is agarn taking a turn and at the fag end of thc. current t century there is a dritrncl possrbrlity tlrat a new dawn willemerge, a new'sauera' will perhaps lead us to a pornt wherr forgetting the mutual hatred we will develop friends across the border. Easing of tension betweerr the two arch rivals on the subcontinent lras special significance for Punjab and Punjabis, they being in the middle of it. They were the worst sufferers at the time of division and now when the borders will be opened Punjab, especially Amritsar, would once again become the gateway of lndia for trade with central Asian countries. ln Mr. Gujral's words "The coming century belongs to Punjab". This might not be too difficult since both Nawaz Shariff and Rafiq Tarar hailfrom Punjab and would try their utmost best to dismantle structures heraldirrg the grourth of the regron. Now the Commonwealth of lndepenrlent States (ClS) ar"e looking to lndia as the most developed i'ration in Asia . to open tl'ie trade channels. \ Jith the emergence of South Asia Preferential Trade Agreenrent (SAPTA) it can be expected that trade and business relations would eventually lead to better exchange and interaction at the mass level too. A similar prophecy is made by a man who does not believe in boundaries separating the sub-continent ln different nations. "These barbed wires shall cease to exist by the end of next ten years" he says. Hailing from nbighbouring Pakistan and now a Swedish citizen,
a scholar turned businessman and a marketing personnel, Asif Syed was recently in Amritsar to fulfill his ardent desire to hold a doctoral thesis from Guru Nanak Dev University. He speaks and writes in five languagps viz. Swedish, English, Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi and has travelled round the globe either attaining degrees or learning newer skills but all the time sharpening his mental faculties and internalising global relations which finally have become a passion with him. The realities of international economics totally changed his perspective of looking at everything. lt became almost Iike re-interpretation of an intellectual in him'a new engine to my [ntellectual being i.e. marketing was provided' says Asif Syed who likes to be known as a free-lance salesman and journal
ist. ln these times when everyone is talk ing about globalization this man of self learning has his own philosophy and way of looking at issues which have concerned the intelligentsia for a while now. Some of his ideas do seem surprising, even intriguing especially when he convincingly talks about demolishing of the mental borders of the subcontinent. He feels, these, in the first place, exist because of the "unseen iib stract enemy" and the moment people will be able to see each other in pe:snrr the hatred sowed by the politicians L,r.-rii change into compassion for each oti:,,:r' Then even a manipulative politiciit:; !t{, shall have to resign and adopi .:i inritual benefit scheme of peacefui e:<ist ence.
Q. Throughout the world people are tightening therr belts to gear up for the next century. Where do you see lndia and Pakistan in this whole scenario? Today. at the fag errd of the twentieth century whrch has seerr so much bloodshed. two shattering wars and worst forms of violence because of political borders. it can be predicted that peace is inevitable in ille lrearfuture of both these corrntrres. '"Yorid politics has surr enri*red to the rnarket and stnce market i,.as power actions of v-arrous countries are decrded by the market forces. Secondly, economic and military power is shrfting from West to Asia. ln the rrear future greater Cheen (China, Hong Kong, Bangkok) will emerge as a formidable super power And to balance this super power there will be subcontinent power.
Q.What would be
He left Paxistan in 11i77 r.rl'ierr it irecarne drffi
cult to prodlrce horrest. creatlve prograrrlrltes on Lahore I V freely and tnen pernranently scr tied in Srr,reoen.and for" ilris he has come {li) with a ne'rt iheory of proetic syslem and lv::rrls to study tite [-ri:cla rri i:'tirjab. F{e feels f.:oetrv being cultirral systrnr snould be relnterprelecl Bcrn on npril 15. 1948, Asrf wrlnt ttu frrrson in 1971 y7i:sr1 he sLroke anci wrr;ie i:cenis agitr"lst killrrrqs.:n [Salrgladesh. lfri:,r ire i:ecan-le a producer ori Lahore -IV. 'Urrra L;i'r.;,;, Flalra Par' arrd'[t4pri r;rrrrlli nr;tcldni L.alrwa r,<-,r,I tnein chan-cirtur drrri r-idh:i' are s;onre popuiur" sollgs prodttcerl l-ry i11i1r Hc leurnt :i!'/cdtsh film science alrd dis, COVere.l tllil ;) irn\rl i;tiCtr:rlV ivas enterging r)n the interrr;:ttriirr;rl sriorte ilre lrtformation sc,-:r.ety ln crt.-(.f ii) frr.ld ilti)re ,rtid rrti-rre abcrut lf ris rlew S(iclel:,, tlt: be1lan t0 l(rarn t;0nillUler Sys. tenrs. Tlteri hi: tr-rtnect rlrlo a bl;siiri:sr; rir.rrr.. started his own tlotiier: t.lrilirr stotes itt':;,il:..t.::,1 tha,t rtrarket;ng is ,rs lrnporlant as, lt-r, ';, ,il,ri or arr iult:a ire Si;iri his bttt.rrtesi (il:u !,'r',,',,'l into intcrnatrorrai nrarketing i' ; l
this sub-continent power ?
Bangladesh shall form a unlt ,:rr i{-l ivoi iid be known as subcontinent'pov',,r:r 'W+stern econonrists alrd exper-ts on rnter national relations have caii:ll;rleC ttriil by the year 2O2O Chin;i i^;rii $s '.r.,io lLr three times richer than tlir USA ir,iith
a scholar turned businessman and a marketing personnel, Asif Syed was recently in Amritsar to fulfill his ardent desire to hold a doctoral thesis from Guru Nanak Dev University. He speaks and writes in five languagps viz. Swedish, English, Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi and has travelled round the globe either attaining degrees or learning newer skills but all the time sharpening his mental faculties and internalising global relations which finally have become a passion with him. The realities of international economics totally changed his perspective of looking at everything. lt became almost Iike re-interpretation of an intellectual in him'a new engine to my [ntellectual being i.e. marketing was provided' says Asif Syed who likes to be known as a free-lance salesman and journal
ist. ln these times when everyone is talk ing about globalization this man of self learning has his own philosophy and way of looking at issues which have concerned the intelligentsia for a while now. Some of his ideas do seem surprising, even intriguing especially when he convincingly talks about demolishing of the mental borders of the subcontinent. He feels, these, in the first place, exist because of the "unseen iib stract enemy" and the moment people will be able to see each other in pe:snrr the hatred sowed by the politicians L,r.-rii change into compassion for each oti:,,:r' Then even a manipulative politiciit:; !t{, shall have to resign and adopi .:i inritual benefit scheme of peacefui e:<ist ence.
Q. Throughout the world people are
tightening therr belts to gear up for the next century. Where do you see lndia and Pakistan in this whole scenarlo? Today. at the fag errd of the twentieth century whrch has seerr so much bloodshed. two shattering wars and worst forms of violence because of political borders. it can be predicted that peace rs irrevitable in tirq: rrearfuture of both these corrntrres. '"Yorid politics has surr en(iL,red to the rnarket and srnce market iras povrer actions of v-arrous countries are decrded by the market forces. Secondly, economic and military Fower is shrfting from West to Asia. ln the rrear future greater Cheen (China, Hong Kong, Bangkok) will emerge as a formidable super power And to balance this super power there will be subcontinent power.
Q.What would be
He left Paxistan in 11i77 r.rl'ierr it irecarne drffi
cult to prodlrce horrest. creatlve prograrrlrltes on Lahore I V freely and tnen pernranently scr tied in Srr,reoen.and for" ilris he has come {li) with a ne'rt iheory of proetic syslem and lv::rrls to study tite [-ri:cla rri i:'tirjab. F{e feels f.:oetrv being cultirral systrnr snould be relnterprelecl Bcrn on npril 15. 1948, Asrf wrlnt ttu frrrson in 1971 y7i:sr1 he sLroke anci wrr;ie i:cenis agitr"lst killrrrqs.:n [Salrgladesh. lfri:,r ire i:ecan-le a producer ori Lahore -IV. 'Urrra L;i'r.;,;, Flalra Par' arrd'[t4pri r;rrrrlli nr;tcldni L.alrwa r,<-,r,I tnein chan-cirtur drrri r-idh:i' are s;onre popuiur" sollgs prodttcerl l-ry i11i1r Hc leurnt :i!'/cdtsh film science alrd dis, COVere.l tllil ;) irn\rl i;tiCtr:rlV ivas enterging r)n the interrr;:ttriirr;rl sriorte ilre lrtformation sc,-:r.ety ln crt.-(.f ii) frr.ld ilti)re ,rtid rrti-rre abcrut lf ris rlew S(iclel:,, tlt: be1lan t0 l(rarn t;0nillUler Sys. tenrs. Tlteri hi: tr-rtnect rlrlo a bl;siiri:sr; rir.rrr.. started his own tlotiier: t.lrilirr stotes itt':;,il:..t.::,1 tha,t rtrarket;ng is ,rs lrnporlant as, lt-r, ';, ,il,ri or arr iult:a ire Si;iri his bttt.rrtesi (il:u !,'r',,',,'l into intcrnatrorrai nrarketing i' ; l
this sub-continent power ?
Bangladesh shall form a unlt ,:lr i{-l i"loi iid be known as subcontinent'pov',,r:r 'W+stern econonrists alrd exper-ts on rnter national relations have caii:ll;rleC f triil': by the year 2O2O Chin;i i^;rii $s '.r.,io lLr three times richer than tlir USA ir,iith
i$t'{f..'tmr' t':': its population touching hundred.million , it will be the biggest 6snsumer,power. ,r On the other nanO population of the subcontinent too wilt increase and'with sustained economic development they will counter the Chinese power.
a Till nowpopulation has beenseen as a negative factor, rather a hindrance for ecoiromic development. Since Asia, including China, lndia and Fakistan are considered,over-populated' how can we say they would be a threat to the so called-.developed' nations? It is true that population till now was a negative factor. but by the next decade this same population number will becotre a positive factor. There is a very sound logic behind this. ln the west conqumjng ability has reached a saturation poin! People over there cannot be coerced to consume any more. Advertisement and all other market tools have been used to the maximum and have now almost exhausted in creating more ' GonsurTlers. At the same time they are going on producing more and more consumer goods thus they require markets. For that they will come to Asia.
alter allthat. There will be a"universality never seen before. For how long the feudal forceswill survive? Politiciins *ay have whateverfaces on either side, economic compulsions will make them see reason and disiolve'petty hatred. tt should not come as a surprise that teaders of both lndia and Pakistan decide to abolish border in the near future. As I see it there will be no custom duty, no visa and tradewillbe encouraged. people will
: be able to see each other face to face and the feelings of hate emerging from ' .an "unseen abstract enemity" shall evaporate. Common sense shall pre_ vail and boundaries will be dissolved. Q. Who will take the initiative? Atready many afrempb have been made and hav6 failed. Besides thefe are some sensitive issues like'Kashmir involved in which it is more of prestige on the either side which. is at stake. So which politician will take the risk of initiating the process? lnitiatives have already begun. As I said earlier, economic compulsions will rule the politicians. Be it Gujaral, Nawaz Sharif oranyoneelse, they might belong
Q. But is it possibte for ittiterate, poor l"^.?lY^":1":r their decisions will peopre suifering many diseases to 11:lo.b."thesame.Atthe interLuy'such proOuitse national level the inevitability of Wiit arrd see. Our politicians will have lit ^!l?. already been realizedto change their prefere,nces roon. tttr- Conflict scares investors and bejor chanles will have to be brougnt aoout 31-"-t negative forforeign investiot acqulring literacy and better "or.r- 1e1ts Political stability, amity tion opportr]nities. This one tactor wiit and sound infrastructure are a neatter the employment and heatth .."n". ;""Tl,rJ:lhs'rr#,: *i.;:?:,$n are
Q. Asia is fragmented on retigious y:.:.9i19-ilaroe chunk of their budget lines. There ri" r"ny other differ- IT?ondefenceinsteadofoneducaences too. So where do you """ tt " y:']T now with a shift in business of unity in ttre regionz ,'.v weapon industry to other spheles in unity or more irury peace is a neces- Y::'::?Tentration willbe qn maximum sitv' rhe new stosan for internatiollt ffi:i.l['ft1] ffi,?iffiXilil",".tffI business is "Peace is good for business ning in a toss and no one wants it to be . and from this perspective conflict can- ;;;'.;;;;;,;ji;ffiffi{il. ;'J,.,:" t:ii:.Uil,1[f, :i ii : xH ffff5tt ;w';'"",5'ln,ti.:i:i,#i: :ffi,?,l':?,1,:',#::i,:"[i*iil:##;i;yi:Xim,3;t.truj;"g* -,_---'r'--. q r:;) lrlol"€ and more efficient ways of aCgofn- ' , plishing the tasks. Uneducated people can not handle such work and if 'that technology has to be transferred to lndia and Pakistan education is inevitable. A European proverb says 'one fo6t in work and one foot in the ctass room' i.e. education is a life long process. Besides, in the West education is seen as a pro(uct and hot as a virtue. As I said eartier, literacy and high-tech education is one factor which will make,a[ the
,, S,tange.-,This'will bring about another , t |$f,,:t revolution unfathomed yet, Q. How can masses in both these countries (lndia and Pakistan) be educated at such a rapid rate and what of social, conventions. This is alla political game which will have to change now. Again the leaders of both countries will have to re-think their strategies. Education cgsts and this cost will have to be borne by money from various sources including the defence expenditure. Education will bfing enlightenment, people will get consciousness. Communal differences will become weak and then stronger forces for ail round development will emerge.
Q. lsn't it utopian? Not at all. You witl see how gradually systems will change and make space for the right shape of capitatism to emerge. Tolerance and harmony will become a necessity.
Q. So, canwe hopefordisappearance of the barbed wire? lndeed. Barbed wire will vanish as nuclear arms factor is becoming very important. lt coutd develop into i catastro ptie which either side cannot afford. Jhele- are some otherfactors as well. tn . nelr future,the region,. including middle , €ds[,.v.vil! beeome a big,market.'Middle eastrhag,"worldid only gas and oit resoufces. Vlestern countries and uSA, .th'e ricftqst in the woild, would wish to dxploit,them to the maximum extent. Due ,to geo-political conditions this can only '.be nirq"gsible through Pakistan. Since USA and European countries will be ' spending on these products they would like to get back the money. f-gr this all; efforts will be made to convgit illiterate urideveloped society into;'ionsumers : w.!th purchase powerwhoBpn buy goods produced in USA a1d Eqlgpe- Some of these consumer products will be mantr-. factured in lndia py multi-nationals and would pass through Pakistan to the middle east. Passage of goods is.only possible if situation between neighbouring
countries is congenial. ln the longer run Pakistan will become a middleman which will hike the price of the product 'and it wiluld be better if there are no trade restrictions between India and Pakistan to avoid unnecessary tax-tariff, custom duties etc.
Q. lsn't there any. danger of regionalism then? I fbel that with money and technology all regions will develop.
Q. What about Punjab? ls there anY speciql role for it in this scenario? Punjab, both West and East, will have a very important rolq. ln fact the next decades are for this region. ln lndian Punjab agricultura! development has touched an alltime high and in the Punjab on the Pakistan's side, i.e. Western Punjab, ihdustrialization has made the local economy stronger. When both these will be combined there will be no looking back for this region. lt will emerge as an economic force to be reckoned"with. That is why politicians will have to take steps in the right direction. They will have to sit across the table and find solutions to petty problems and take major decisions in the interest of greater humanity.
Q. How do you find a parallelwith the Berlin war? ln Germany also some similar issues were faced. ln this region China and Pakistan will not lift the border because there is so much cultural difference but it is podsible for lndia and Pakistan since there is a social, cultural and linguist continuity.
Q. lsn't lndia's condition different from Germany's? Some differences are definitely there. There is socialdemocracy in lndia. Secondly there is a strong trade union culture here but now lndia is not facing any labour problem and for any economy to develop, peaceful industrial relations are very essential. Q. So do you visualise a Western style development here? Doesn't that mean we shall be invitin$ woes of that society also? Development here has never been on thewestern line norwill it be. ln the West, alienation has emerged and that is why they are turning to eastern pattern of spiritualism. Our society will not have the same irnpact of development since we have the western example in front of us and the Asians will have to be very foolish to imitate the west and invite the
chaos of that ,society. I am ',confident thdi'qeithlr: Pa- . ' kistanis nor lndians are that foolish. We will have our own styte and pace of eco- , nomic and cultural growth. Time is a majorfactor here. , :
Q. I am still not clear as to how this will help in removing the border. See growth and development means higher inter- I action. Through mass com- ' munication the borders have already been shattered. ln our two countries the unseen abstract factor , is very important. lt is hu- I man nature that the mo-' ment we see the enemy in , flesh and blood and find" him/her very much like us the hatred disappears. Now you have seen me, do you hate me? You know me as any other person. There was an iron curtain earlier but now that windows have oPened through TV screen/radio. Wait; when the real impact of internet will become evident, the contact will be direct then. There will be no politicians giving their own hues and shades. I am sure that in ten years from now the mental border will totally vanish. The change process is moving fast and fast, means of communication has made life and exchange much faster. Technology's impact can be seen in building construction which is much faster now. Same is true of road, air or railtransport. So who can stop the wave of change?
Q. You seem very sure and enthusiastic but what about indifferent politicians and ineffective administration? lf politicians have to survive they have to play their game fairly and provide effective administration minus corruption. After all politicians are also aware of the world Situation today. A politician works for the market. There is no force which can stop it. l-et me return to China now. China is a nationalist country. They have the capital as well as knowhow. We have the knowhow but we do not have the means to use that knowhow. After allwho are the scientists in the USA but Asians giving alt the technical development to that country and making it a super power? Our nations are not ready for them yet but when the right time will come and the situation will change not only we will be able to absorb the nationaltalent more but those who have gone too will come back. Mind you this is not just a hope but a very well calculated doc
trine which I am soon going to publish in my book. Some of these ideas have been written and published also. I am regularly writing in Jung the biggest daily of Pakistan on these topics.
Q. Again I come back to my apprehensions about the world market especially the role of international trade organizations in the form of controls by IMF and WTO which lfeel are big hurdles in making the sub-continent any power at all?
World Trade Organization is based on free trade. lts policies are not against subcontinet. As faras protected entrepreneur is concerned there is no economic growth .possible,with such policies hence in any case these have to be abolished. On the other hand any industrialist who believes in competition considers it fair. Capitalism does not believe in protectionism and parasites remember these factors. They are a burden for national economy. The protective entrepreneur will have to find ways and allow for competition otherwise our nations will be isolated. Economic growth is possible only under capitalism and since communism has as yet failed we have to flnd.otherways and means to overcome social inequalities. As far as world economics is concerned export is main threshold. Lei our nations produce quality goods ahd compete. We still have time to use cheap labour and cheap transport so we have time to coBe up with the developed economies ftt.
(Photographs by:- Dr. J.P;S.,Jolly)
No comments:
Post a Comment