To: arun gera who wrote (42321 ) 4/1/2002 7:30:22 PM From: IQBAL LATIF Read Replies (3) | Respond to Dilip Kumar and Narges were also the greatest legends. that does not say much about pluralism. I'm happy with all the negatives of the world and I look back at my life and thank 1 million times for the partition of 1947 for 1 simple reason. India would not have been such a peaceful place with all these extremists around. India would not have been able to handle like recently in Gujarat. Amongst ourselves, we can handle them with an iron hand. Therefore I believe it was the greatest of blessing for India that we are not a part of India. I understand our shortcomings and I have condemned my nation more than India and that’s the strength I bring to the IDEA thread since I have no fixation with the so-called false strength of my nation. I see the poverty, misery, human insult and the lack of education, which makes me feel that the pride we take in our nationalistic attitudes, is not something tenable. We should only be proud if we make our nations worthy of respect. If we can improve the lot of our poor and remove the caste system, bring equality and egalitarian values as Western democracy's have done then we can stand proud and instead of naming a few great matinee idols, we can also name 100'000s of engineers and doctors that India was not able to produce from its 160 million Muslims. Not to make you upset but in 1947, in what you call Pakistan today with all its failings, this region of west Pakistan as a part of the total Indian union GDP only supported 6% of the total. Today with a 55-65 billion dollar GDP, this backwater in the northern part of India before 1947 supports 21% of the present Indian GDP. The results are far better on PPP. Standard of livings ...no comparison. I know Delhi, Bombay and Calcutta like the back of my hand. No comparison. Come any time as my guest and don’t listen to the newspapers. Your information minister was in Pakistan and I tell you that she had a great time. When Mr Vajipayee, I was a member of the receiving committee and his personal secretary and doctor who were in my circle of friends kept asking me " Ike show me where the people sleep on the roads?" I replied, " There are none!"
