Where there's demand, there's supply. Little can change it.
The apparent reality of the situation is that Pakistanis are hungry to share Indian culture but want to remain a different nation based on a very limited set of values.
Wherein one finds the flaw in Crescent_'s argument that since we're getting close to sharing a culture with India we may as well merge.
Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the USA heavily share each others culture without even remotely approaching becoming a single nation.
That kind of relationship is essentially the long-term future of Indo-Pak. In the information age it's completely impossible to stop India films from coming to Pakistan and Pakistani songs from going to India. Iran has tried this kind of media regulation and all that emerged was a powerful black market.
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Frankly, Pakistan and India will end up like Canada and the USA.
Like Canada, Pakistan does not have the scale to economically rival its neighbour.
Like Canada, Pakistan will heavily share the culture of its neighbour, but also export its own culture to its neighbour
LIke Canada, Pakistan will always remain fiercely proud of of its independence and nationalism will always be strong.
70+% of Canada’s exports are to America. Pakistan’s exports to India probably don’t even make up 10% of the total exports, yet its still prospering. Canada is very heavily (economically, and militarily) dependent on America. Pakistan’s economy & military are both independent of India.
Unfortunately, in the past, most of Canada’s exports were to the UK due to political enmity between Canada and the USA.
When politics changed, so did the economy.
There is no country in the world, that when politically stable with an economically more powerful neighbour, does not do most of its trade with that neighbour.
If India’s economy remains strong and the Kashmir dispute is settled, it is inevitable that Pakistan’s economy will become India-focused. Canada prospered whilst having a UK-focused economy; but prospered even more once it focused on its neighbour when hostile relations ceased.
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Unfortunately, in the past, most of Canada's exports were to the UK due to political enmity between Canada and the USA.
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ANd when was that?
A century ago? :-|
Do you think the ‘final settlement’ of kashmir will be peaceful?
Your points are valid but then you should remember that religious differences do play a role in subcontinent (atleast on the outside for a majority) and that will be a stoke for a future fire!
What India is presenting on media is far more glamorous and artistically advanced. That is why Pakistanis cannot resist Indian art-products. As Indians are free with little restarin on artistic creativity, this invasion will become more overwhelming and consequential in future with a homogenizing and integrating impact. Moreover, a common language, culture, ethnicity, social protocols, group-psyche, and group-character apart from integrated geography and similar ecological conditions will have their effect.
Political identities are very shallow and transient. Cultural, civilizational, and ethnic identities are very profound that ultimately transcend, and often demolish, political barriers.
Canada and USA is not an adequate analogy. Neither, the White man with a strong will for independence and liberty ingrained in personal and collective psyche is a relevant example. To sacrifice for notions as abstract as freedom, identity, independence, dignity, self-respect, etc., defiant and assertive characters are needed rather than opportunistic, subservient/submissive, bargain-making, and compromise-seeking mentalities. Every nation has got its national character. We have seen the DOMINENT and PRIVILEGED elite changing loyalties overnight and bowing to every power local, regional, or extra-regional for short-term survival instead of long-run existence. Imagine the metamorphasis of Nawaz League into Qayum League!
At least saris have more modesty and aesthetics than “Dhoti”, the dress of Punjab and Sindh. Both are Indian dresses though. Sari is also used by Muslims of Hindustan as a dress.
What is in a dress-which SIMPLY is something to cover your body just like LANGUAGE IS SOMETHING TO BE USEd FOR COMMUNICATION. That is language and dress have a utilitarian value not to be used as cultural or religious symbol (your stand when it comes to local languages of Pakistan-you then say language is not an identity marker). What about trouser and shirt? Is not it an INFIDEL dress?
Mr., the first point is Urdu and Hindi are two names of the same language. Second point is, as you said in one of your post that LANGUAGE IS JUST A MEAN OF COMMUNICATION, languages should not to be labeled as Hindu languages or “MUSALMAN and PAK” langauges. Please stick to one position by accepting that Hindustani written in Perso-Arabic script, called Urdu, is Muslim identity marker (i.e. of Muslims from UP ) and written in Gormaki script, called Hindi, is Hindu identity marker i.e. one carries Muslim religious feelings and the other Hindu religious feelings (which is a nonsense). Or accept that language is just a mean of communication so it is neither Hindu nor Muslim. Don’t say contradictory things. Your posts are just loads of contradictions.
Languages of regional-global communication have seldom become languages of culture and social communication. Example: English despite being prevalent in Hindustan for almost 200+ years is spoken only by 10 millions people compared to native languages spoken by 1000+ millions people.
A Pashtun has more cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and social affinity with another Pashtun with whom he shares religion and history also (we have the same heroes and national poets). Moreover, they are 40 millions to 50 millions people with love for their language and value-system called Pashtunwali. Pashto is the language of my culture and society-my identity marker something I owned throughout history. So you can imagine how deep-rooted it is. No other language can replace it. However if you want to remain in your utopia that is another matter.
It is also absolute rubbish that people have started speaking Urdu. When it comes to cummunicating with a fellow Pashtun, no Pashtun will use another language. For communicating with a person from Punjab or Karachi Urdu or English can be used. Rather I’ll say preferring English over Urdu-Hindi as the language of regional communcation, as well, has another advantage i.e. you gain access to an immensely huge repository of knowledge as well as find a mean to communicate with a person from another province.
Summary:
Pashto is the language of my culture and society; it exclusively belongs to me so is my identity marker and gives me individuality and uniqueness. English is the language of global and regional communication, knowledge, art, and entertainment. Urdu-Hindi is language of regional communication with some art and entertainment but very little knowledge or psuedo-knowledge (e.g. Ghalib, Mutalia Pakistan, etc.). It is a self-evident fact that in future everyone should learn one’s mother-tongue and English. No need to learn other languages except if one needs to enjoy some limited music/entertainment, poetry.
