WONDER
Just like India hasn’t preserved its nuclear bombs for Diwali, Pakistan hasn’t preserved its own for Eid either. Let’s uplift the political discourse a bit.
If India has not kept it’s cherished ‘nuclear bombs’ for Diwali, neither has Pakistan saved its own for Eid. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi was speaking at a rally in Rajasthan and expressing India’s nuclear potential when he said that India hasn’t saved its nuclear bombs for Diwali.
The sarcastic remark made by the PM at the really was perhaps to make the message clear that not only did India possess nuclear weapons but it was also ready to use them if Pakistan provoked. He also told the crowd that India had entered the territory of the enemy and killed them in their own land referring to the controversial surgical strike.
He said that while India had made terrorists scared and successfully given them a lesson, the Congress doubted its efforts and expressed sympathy for Pakistan. The PM Narendra Modi reminded the audience that if Pakistan boasted of its nuclear weapons, it should know that India had not preserved its own for Diwali.
The statement made by the Prime Minister should seriously have been reconsidered given the fact that such a statement could not only ignite communal hatred within the country towards members of the minority community but could also escalate to the situation of war. The nation is witnessing one the most critical moments in its life trajectory- the Lok Sabha elections and a statement such as the one issued by the PM is surely controversial.
Mehbooba Mufti, PDP on PM Modi’s remark, ‘Every other day they (Pakistan) used to say “We’ve nuclear button, we’ve nuclear button”…..What do we have then? Have we kept it for Diwali?’: Jo Pakistan ke pass honge, vo bhi Eid ke liye nahi rakhe honge. Yeh hisaab baraabar hota hai. pic.twitter.com/disWzMy8f3
— ANI (@ANI) April 22, 2019
Mehbooba Mufti has responded to the PM’s statement and argued that if India hasn’t saved its nuclear weapons for Diwali, Pakistan too has not preserved its nuclear weapons for Eid. Igniting public sentiment during elections may fetch us votes but it certainly can prove damaging in the long run. The nation needs growth and development, prosperity, education, healthcare and employment and the proposition of war is not something that the nation as a collective entity should strive for.
In fact, both PM Narendra Modi and Mehbooba Mufti are right, nuclear weapons are not meant for Diwali, Eid, Holi, Christmas or any other festival- all they are meant for is collective doom. The implications of war will be immense for both these nations and using any rhetoric at this time can only aggravate hatred and war mongering.
Let us stop for a moment and rethink the choice of statements that our leaders let out in public. Let us bring back the standard of political discourse and rebuild the political debate on responsible concerns and mature deliverance- let not the grave subject of nuclear arsenal be casually utilised to mobilise a fleeting rally crowd. The last time the world used Nuclear weapons was 75 years ago and its implications can still be seen on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The two bombs killed 129,000-226,000 ordinary civilians. It is true that both India and Pakistan boast of nuclear weapons and neither of them has preserved it for a festive occasion but has chosen to own them so that they can be used when required. Let’s be a little careful when we talk about nuclear weapons, let’s lift up the political discourse a little.
