%3Cbr%3EPrime%20Minister%20Modi%20yesterday%20was%20the%20Chief%20Guest%20at%20the%20celebrations%20of%20Bangladesh%27s%20National%20Day%20in%20Dhaka%20and%20gave%20a%20rousing%20address%20on%20the%20occasion%2C%20paying%20tributes%20to%20the%26nbsp%3Bsoldiers%20who%20fought%20in%20Bangladesh%27s%20war%20for%20independence.%22Today%20in%20Bangladesh%2C%20the%20blood%20of%20those%20who%20fought%20for%20their%20liberation%20and%20the%20blood%20of%20Indian%20soldiers%20are%20flowing%20together.%22

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%20%7C%3C/strong%3E%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/pm-narendra-modi-says-india-wants-love-and-peace-with-bangladesh-not-terror-and-unrest%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EPM%20Modi%20says%20India%20wants%20love%20and%20peace%20with%20Bangladesh%2C%20not%20terror%20and%20unrest%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

His%20speech%20reminded%20me%20of%20the%20early%201980%27s%20when%20I%20was%20posted%20in%20Karachi–a%20period%20which%20I%20have%20described%20at%20length%20in%20my%20book%20%27Karachi%20Halwa%27.%20During%20my%20three%20and%20a%20half%20year%20posting%2C%20I%20got%20the%20unmistakable%20impression%20that%20not%20just%20military%20analysts%20but%20most%20Pakistanis%20wanted%20that%20Bangladesh%20should%20be%20avenged.%20Although%20I%20did%20come%20across%20some%20Pakistanis%20from%20time%20to%20time%20who%20genuinely%20wanted%20good%20relations%20with%20India%2C%20the%20majority%20did%20not%20wish%20India%20well%2C%20and%20would%20not%20do%20so%20in%20the%20foreseeable%20future.%26nbsp%3B

I%20recall%20that%20when%20Indira%20Gandhi%20was%20assassinated%20on%20October%2031%2C%201984%2C%20sweets%20were%20distributed%20in%20many%20areas%20of%20Karachi%20and%20other%20cities%20in%20Pakistan%2C%20and%20celebrations%20were%20held%20in%20many%20places.

It%20was%20widely%20believed%20that%20the%20government%20and%20right-wing%20Islamic%20parties%20were%20behind%20this.

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%20%7C%3C/strong%3E%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/all-about-pm-modis-satyagraha-remark-history-and-citation%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EPM%20Modi%27s%20blunder%20or%20Opposition%20overreaction%3A%20All%20about%20%27Bangladesh%20satyagraha%27%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

Why%20did%20they%20indulge%20in%20such%20despicable%20acts%3F%20No%20doubt%2C%20this%20was%20because%20her%20assassination%20gave%20great%20joy%20to%20many%20Pakistanis%20who%20saw%20her%20as%20the%20chief%20architect%20of%20Pakistan%u2019s%20breakup%20in%201971%20and%20the%20creation%20of%20Bangladesh.

Former%20Pakistan%20President%20Muhammad%20Zia-ul-Haq%2C%20who%20never%20seemed%20to%20run%20out%20of%20crocodile%20tears%2C%20came%20to%20attend%20Indira%20Gandhi%u2019s%20funeral.%20A%20friend%20of%20mine%20at%20the%20External%20Affairs%20Ministry%20was%20attached%20as%20Protocol%20Assistant%20with%20the%20Pakistan%20delegation.%20He%20recounted%20something%20that%20was%20a%20huge%20eye%20opener%20for%20many%20of%20us.

The%20Pakistan%20delegation%20along%20with%20many%20others%20was%20put%20up%20at%20the%20Asoka%20Hotel.%20When%20Zia%20and%20his%20entourage%20returned%20to%20the%20hotel%20after%20the%20funeral%2C%20they%20found%20that%20there%20was%20already%20a%20big%20queue%20of%20people%20waiting%20to%20get%20into%20the%20elevator%20as%20several%20other%20delegations%20had%20also%20returned%20around%20the%20same%20time.

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%20%7C%20%3C/strong%3E%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/as-assam-bengal-ready-for-the-first-phase-of-voting-why-everyones-eyes-are-on-2024%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EAs%20Assam%2C%20Bengal%20prep%20for%20phase%201%20poll%2C%20why%20everyone%27s%20eyes%20are%20on%202024%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

Not%20wanting%20to%20wait%2C%20Zia%20said%20that%20he%20would%20take%20the%20stairs.%20When%20one%20of%20his%20entourage%20members%20tried%20to%20dissuade%20him%20because%20his%20suite%20was%20on%20the%20fifth%20floor%2C%26nbsp%3B%20Zia%20said%20something%20to%20him%20in%20a%20low%20voice%2C%20assuming%20that%20everyone%20around%20him%20was%20a%20Pakistani%3B%20he%20did%20not%20realise%20that%20one%20of%20them%20was%20my%20friend%2C%20the%20Indian%20protocol%20official%20%28Indians%20and%20the%20Pakistanis%20look%20quite%20similar%2C%20don%u2019t%20we%3F%29.%20You%20can%20never%20imagine%20what%20Zia%20said%20softly%2C%20almost%20in%20a%20whisper.

%3Ci%3EHe%20said%2C%20%u201CAaj%20to%20hum%20paanch%20manzil%20bhi%20charh%20jayenge.%u201D%20%3C/i%3ERoughly%20translated%2C%20it%20means%2C%20%u201CToday%20I%20will%20climb%20even%20five%20floors.%u201D%20Such%20was%20his%20sense%20of%20elation%21

A%20few%20days%20after%20Indira%20Gandhi%u2019s%20assassination%2C%20I%20attended%20a%20reception%20in%20Karachi%20where%20I%20met%20Brig.%20AR%20Siddiqui%2C%20a%20prominent%20Pakistani%20military%20expert%20and%20Director%20General%20of%20the%20Institute%20for%20Inter%20Services%20Public%20Relations.%20He%20served%20as%20the%20Official%20Spokesman%20of%20the%20Pakistan%20armed%20forces.%26nbsp%3B

Having%20downed%20more%20than%20a%20couple%20of%20drinks%2C%20his%20tongue%20loosened%20up%20and%20he%20said%3A%20%u201CMr.%20Dayal%2C%20very%20soon%20you%20will%20not%20be%20able%20to%20recognise%20the%20map%20of%20your%20country.%u201D%20Clearly%2C%20he%20was%20hinting%20that%20Punjab%20was%20going%20to%20break%20away%20from%20India.%26nbsp%3B

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%20%7C%3C/strong%3E%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/finally-pakistanis-to-get-vaccinated-by-india%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinally%2C%20Pakistanis%20to%20get%20vaccinated%20by%20India%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

I%20retorted%20that%20this%20would%20happen%20only%20if%20Pakistan%20itself%20ceased%20to%20exist%20as%20a%20separate%20country%20and%20re-joined%20India.%20He%20was%20quite%20cheesed-off%20with%20my%20reply.

Nonetheless%2C%20Brig.%20Siddiqui%u2019s%20remarks%20were%20an%20indication%20of%20how%20analysts%20and%20strategic%20thinkers%20in%20Pakistan%20viewed%20the%20developments%20across%20the%20border%20in%20India.%20They%20were%20quite%20convinced%20that%20India%20was%20going%20to%20break%20up%20as%20their%20own%20country%20had%20done%20a%20decade%20earlier.%20Zia%u2019s%20government%20had%20done%20everything%20possible%20to%20fan%20the%20flames%20of%20separatism%2C%20and%20people%20like%20Brig.%20Siddiqui%20were%20sure%20that%20these%20efforts%20were%20going%20to%20bear%20fruit%20soon.

It%20was%20not%20difficult%20to%20understand%20that%20this%20was%20something%20they%20were%20hungering%20for%3B%20they%20simply%20wanted%20revenge%20for%20Bangladesh.

%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%20%7C%3C/strong%3E%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/the-us-defence-secretarys-recent-visit-signposts-and-markers%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EThe%20US%20Defence%20Secretary%27s%20Recent%20Visit%3A%20Signposts%20and%20Markers%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E

This%20was%20the%20impression%20I%20got%20when%20I%20was%20posted%20in%20Karachi%20in%20the%20early%2080%27s%2C%20and%20it%20is%20much%20the%20same%20impression%20I%20have%20today.%20I%20am%20not%20alone%20in%20thinking%20like%20this%2C%20as%20countless%20opinion%20polls%20have%20shown%20that%20most%20Indians%20share%20the%20same%20pessimism%20with%20regard%20to%20Pakistan.%26nbsp%3B

%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Bangladesh%22%20data-user-id%3D%22ougW7CYy43uf%22%20href%3D%22/topic/bangladesh%22%3E%23Bangladesh%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23IndiaPakistanTies%22%20data-user-id%3D%22a5Sxa7KNymiK%22%20href%3D%22/topic/indiapakistanties%22%3E%23IndiaPakistanTies%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23IndiraGandhi%22%20data-user-id%3D%22G8w7HSdnG7Er%22%20href%3D%22/topic/indira-gandhi%22%3E%23IndiraGandhi%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Pakistan%22%20data-user-id%3D%22wizuXkuQ3rL8%22%20href%3D%22/topic/pakistan%22%3E%23Pakistan%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23India%22%20data-user-id%3D%22Bq4MmUPrXF8p%22%20href%3D%22/topic/india%22%3E%23India%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23PMModi%22%20data-user-id%3D%22RimmTWCKlKNg%22%20href%3D%22/topic/pmmodi%22%3E%23PMModi%3C/a%3E%26nbsp%3B