IN PRAISE OF PAKISTAN
If praising Pakistan is a crime in India then I am afraid I too am a criminal just like Sidhu.

There is so much flack in the media against Navjot Singh Sidhu -first for having hugged the Pak Army Chief Bajwa and then as of today 7th September 2018 for praising Pakistan. Siddhu thanked the Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan for opening up for Indians the Kartarpur Sahib pilgrimage on the occasion of Sikh Guru — Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary. Sidhu said Imran has not only taken steps, he has walked miles to normalise relations with India. Sidhu said “I am indebted forever,”
Sidhu’s crime is all the more heinous because his ‘friend’ Qamar Javed Bajwa just a day ago had said that Pakistan will avenge the blood of its martyrs being shed in the borders of the country and will never forget them…possibly an indirect reference to Sidhu’s ilk throwing explosive projectiles into Pakistan with the intent to harm and maim. If you have also missed the connect or are not as familiar with Pakistani affairs as the average Indian or the simpleton world citizen who are generally unaware of the momentous events that shape belligerence on either side of the border of nuclear capable neighbours — then allow me to throw a beacon of light on why the Bajwa comment makes for illogical nonsense.

The afore mentioned Qamar Javed Bajwa was born in 1960 making him 58 years old which has got nothing to do with what he did or said. Around the middle of July 2018 the now deposed Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharief bumped up the then Inspector general of Training and Evaluation Lieutenant General Bajwa and made him a four star full General in command of the 5 hundred and 50 thousand odd strong Army of Pakistan -and this has a lot to do with what he does and says.
Sidhu ‘Paaji’ (elder brother in Punjabi) began his friendship with Bajwa ‘Paaji’ on 18th August 2018 when enacting traditional greeting rituals prevalent across the divided state of 5 rivers the two Punjabi ‘Paajis’ exchanged what in Punjab are known as ‘Jappies’ and elsewhere variously as necking, embracing, hugging or/and exchanging physical pleasantries.

Sidhu was in Islamabad to attend the swearing in ceremony of buddy cricketer Imran Khan — replacement for Nawaz Sharief as the PM of Pakistan. Invited by one buddy, Sidhu chose to extend his budding circle of friends from across the border and landed an indelicate ‘jhappi’ on Bajwa who like any other full blooded Punjabi male promptly reciprocated. It might well have been the other way around but if I were Sidhu I would certainly want to be buddies with a Pak Army Chief because you never know when he might seize control of their country and then I would be friends with a bonafide dictator.
Siddhu’s actions immediately set off a chain reaction across the border and the Punjabi ‘Paaji’ was made to seem like a real paaji (bad person in Hindi) by the righteous forces of the right wing that are very touchy when and if referred to as fascists. So we shall all refrain from name calling and go back to the subject of my criminality -now that Navjot Singh Sidhu’s has been firmly established.
In my case praise for Pakistan cannot be something as fancy as hugging the most powerful man in that country…nor for that matter have I ever been invited to attend a Prime Minister’s swearing in ceremony -not in Pakistan not in India -nowhere. So basically I have to limit my experience and praise for Pakistan to this ‘kick arse’, I hope I am using the term in right context, fun movie that I saw on YouTube. It was naturally a Pakistani movie set in Pakistan with mostly Pakistani caste and crew. There were a few Indian faces I recognised who I will not name for fear of them being subjected to State sponsored harassment for having acted in an ‘enemy’ movie.

The only name I will take is that of Om Puri because he is doubly insured against harassment -firstly because he is dead and more importantly because he has the Hindu holy sign as a name -OM and that should protect his memory from being posthumously awarded the epithet of Anti National liberal. In the movie he had a Pakistani name of Muslim origins and he is shown as a Pakistani person who can read Urdu newspapers and find out what his Pakistani son has been doing behind his back. In fact Om Puri had a full Pakistani family in the film with wife, son and daughter.

I loved the film — it is called Actor In Law and is available on YouTube. I loved the way the Pakistanis acted in the film they were so…so…human. There were jokes and funny moments and problems I could identify with and simplistic cinematic solutions - in the Munna Bhai sort of a way. Another blasphemy on my part — I compared a patriotic film like Munna Bhai, which had M K Gandhi in the plot, to enemy film Actor In Law which had pictures of that villain in a Karakul hat M A Jinnah hanging on walls. I will not say anything more about the film…I have given out enough hints for one to want to watch it so just do that. For myself I loved what I saw of Karachi.

I wish I was friends with Imran or buddies with Bajwa like Navjot Singh Sidhu and then they could give me a visa to come visit because like I said in the beginning if praising Pakistan is a crime in India then I am afraid I too am a criminal -just like Sidhu.
