Friday, April 01, 2005

From the other side

Pakistan Times - Pakistan's First Independent Complete Daily E-Newspaper

News begins to lose its easy urban character out here pretty quickly. There is no straight story. The balanced story ceases to exist. Fact is shrouded beneath politics, old hatreds, deep mistrust and everything else that falls in between.

There are too many stakeholders in every sphere of life. Too many people wanting to influence every little thing ... To start with there's one country too many: take your pick between India and Pakistan. Then there are the politicians, the quasi-politicians, the opportunitists and the fixers. And let's not forget about the police, armed constabulary, the border security force, various regiments of the army, various secret agents and various other gun toting members of that umbrella organisation, 'security forces'. And then there are the militants fighting for Free Kashmir, slightly free kashmir, free of India Kashmir, free to be taken over by Pakistan Kashmir, free from everything but the gun Kashmir ... Oh, and there are the Kashmiris as well doomed to their fate of being eternal afterthoughts.

No comments: