I walked into the pharmacy where I purchase my monthly requirements. There was a World Cup cricket match of Pakistan and the team was not in a very good shape and the entire staff of the pharmacy was upset.
I was amazed and shocked. I questioned myself if we had a short memory or we were very forgiving.
Only a few days ago, I saw a video clip of a TV talk-show on a Pakistani channel, where experts were trying to explain to the youths of that country why Bangladesh was a success story albeit with a little bit of shame.
Out of the four experts, three naturally did not speak the truth and were beating around the bushes. The fourth one angrily said “You are not talking about the facts.”
The fact was, he said that “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has kept the armed forces away from politics, educated the womenfolk, and ensured that Bangladesh was a secular country. Can we do that in Pakistan?”
Another expert in a low voice said “In Pakistan, you cannot speak about those issues and asking for secularism could be seen as anti-state.”
Why they could not speak about such issues? Because, the military still rules Pakistan with its powerful Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), the idea of women’s education is unacceptable in the countryside despite Benazir Bhutto becoming prime minister and Islam is a commodity to sell for politics rather than being a true faith.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has kept the armed forces away from political involvement, unlike General Ziaur Rahman, General Hussain Muhammad Ershad and Khaleda Zia .The army in Bangladesh today is a professional organisation with modern equipment and training.
Sheikh Hasina ensured wider education of women, giving them top government as well as political positions within the bureaucracy, right up to the Speaker's office in the National Parliament.
The Bangladesh premier has upheld the principle of secularism as enshrined in the country’s constitution and that is why people belonging to minority faiths come out boldly under her rule with huge Puja and Christmas celebrations.
That is what makes people proud to be Bangladeshis now.
Then why these youths are shamelessly siding with a “failed state” called Pakistan?
Asked why Pakistan, which has turned down our offers for friendly ties since Bangladesh was born and has continued to meddle into our internal affairs, the answer was more shocking.
“Why, what’s wrong in supporting Pakistan,” one of the staff asked me. I retorted: “Don’t you know how they killed Bangalees in 1971 and raped our women?”
The staffer, aged about 25 years, said he had no knowledge about things that happened during the 1971 war and that “Cricket match is not politics. Then one should not support India too.”
At a time when Pakistan mentions Bangladesh with some kind of jealousy due to this country’s success, our youths are in dark about their proud history where India is our trusted friend, while Islamabad has not returned Dhaka’s gesture of friendship despite its crimes against humanity in 1971.
These young men grew up with text books containing wrong accounts of history to serve the interest of those rulers who projected India as the enemy, while they themselves pursued friendship with New Delhi secretly.
Bangladesh-Pakistan bilateral ties are at a new low currently and the latest irritant occurred because of Islamabad's refusal to issue visa to one of our diplomats.
I admit most people in Pakistan are friendly to Bangladeshis, but the educated as well as those in the armed forces and civil bureaucracy are a little different. I say this on the basis of my own experience as well as those of my friends who had visited Pakistan.
Instead, our youths should be made alert about how Pakistan has not taken back its Bihari citizens from Bangladesh, did not return our wealth, how it has been exporting Islamist militancy, how it has intervened in our elections to overthrow Sheikh Hasina and get their pro-Pakistani Bangladesh Nationalist party into power and so forth.
Parents and peers need to teach their children the true history, whom to honour and help them distinguish between friend and foe. They must be proud of their own country —Bangladesh — and also to respect those who respect their motherland, which Pakistan does not.
You can enjoy a good game of cricket or any other sport, but you need not to support your eternal foe in the name of enjoying “just a match.” If every family had not bled in 1971, then maybe I would not be writing this today!
Nadeem Qadir is the Consulting Editor, Daily Sun and a UN Dag Hammarskjöld fellow.