Daily Times

According to the latest Indian Human Development Survey, released on May 11, 2019, nearly half (47.9 per cent) the Indian households that have more than five children are severely deprived of shelter, water, sanitation, health and education as compared to 7.8 per cent of poor families without children. According to the World Bank up to 24 per cent of the world’s poor live in India, the fifth largest country by gross domestic product in 2017. India’s richest 1per cent held 58 per cent of the country’s total wealth, which was higher than the global figure of about 50%, indicating extreme inequalities.

Sadly, the situation vis-à-vis the issue of poverty in Pakistan is not very encouraging either. Some reports reveal that roughly 40% of the population of Pakistan lives below the poverty line. The prevailing alarming poverty scenario in India and Pakistan conveys a very strong and cogent message to the people at the helm of governments in both neighbouring countries that they should make sincere and sustained efforts to dedicatedly work towards the wellbeing of their browbeaten masses who live by the day and for whom life continues to be murky and challenging, always.

What then does the scenario described above depicts and solicits? It evidently portrays that India, in particular, is utterly neglecting the welfare of a very large segment of its masses. It is doing so, by unjustifiably spending a significant part of its resources on strengthening its armed forces rather than on the wellbeing of over 70 percent of its (1.36 billion) underprivileged populace. Compelled by India’s massive expansion of its armed forces, Pakistan too is being forced to spend roughly Rs. 1.15 trillion (amounting to 17 percent) of its national budget on its armed forces. This too, undeniably, is a fairly sizeable amount when looked at in the context of its total annual (2019) national budget of Rs.7 trillion.

This extremely unfortunate situation solicits from those at the helm of government in India, in particular, that it should give up its hegemonic ambitions in the region and divert a significant part of the huge sum that it is spending on strengthening its armed forces towards the wellbeing of its poverty stricken, underprivileged segment of the population. If good sense prevails and the Indian government decides to judiciously curtail its gargantuan defense expenditure, for the reason cited above, Pakistan too will naturally reduce its defense budget to a rational level and divert the resources saved in the process towards the welfare of the underprivileged segment of the country’s populace.

India is utterly neglecting the welfare of a very large segment of its masses. It is doing so, by unjustifiably spending a significant part of its resources on strengthening its armed forces rather than on the wellbeing of over 70 percent of its (1.36 billion) underprivileged populace

All this could happen only if India, as stated earlier, gives up its ambition to dominate the region through military primacy and by mending its fences with its neighbor Pakistan, in particular, and the countries of the region in general. India’s relations with Pakistan are currently at its lowest ebb. The relationship between the two countries cannot improve unless the core issue of Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK), an issue which continues to be a bone of contention between the India and Pakistan for over 7 decades, is not resolved forthwith. At least, for the present, there are no visible signs of any resolution of this grave issue. As known to the entire world, India’s excruciating brutalities and blatant human rights abuses in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IoJ&K) has surpassed all bounds of civility. The atrocities that the brutal India forces continue to brazenly commit in the occupied territory must end immediately.

The Kashmir conundrum must be resolved without delay. The UN, the US and the world community must play a conclusive role in resolving the grave Kashmir issue by prevailing on India to grant the right to self-determination to the people of the occupied territory, in accordance with the charters of the United Nations and the UN resolution of 1948. Needless to say, peace and prosperity would continue to remain a distant dream not only for India and Pakistan but for the entire region if the decades-old issue of occupied Kashmir is not promptly and peacefully settled.

The writer is an analyst and freelance columnist based in Islamabad-Pakistan