World Must Help Pak Become a Free, Secular Democracy

If the areas that are part of today's Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia become peaceful and stable by finding their ancient roots, the people in those regions will become prosperous.

- ARVIND KUMAR

A lot has been written about the war with Pakistan, but it is also important to plan for peace in the country. Pakistan was created as a religious theocracy, and that has led to the country becoming the fountainhead of international terrorism and one of the most unstable places on the planet. When Pakistan tested its nuclear bombs, it labeled them "Islamic bombs," thereby sending a message to the world that the bombs were meant for waging a global jihad against the rest of the world. Regardless of that history, there is now an opportunity for India and the world to help liberate Pakistanis as they are now frustrated by their rulers and their Constitution, which imposes a religion on them.

Many of them no longer want to reject their own ancient and rich civilization that blossomed around the Indus River thousands of years ago, but want to restore the culture that grew out of that civilization. Tarek Fatah, the late thinker, was one such person, and the fact that he was not an exception but part of a general trend is clear from the fact that Pakistanis did not oppose China's actions of bringing civilized thought and modernity to the Uyghur people of Xinjiang province despite being prodded by the West to oppose China's efforts. Instead, they watched the state of affairs with utter fascination and longed for similar changes in Pakistan. Critics of China were clearly proven wrong by the emergence of many videos posted by young women from Xinjiang province who welcomed the positive change ushered in by China.