Pakistani Ambassador Slams India

Calling the Indian government aggressive, expansionist and deceptive, Pakistani ambassador to the United Nations Ahmad Kamal delivered a powerful, and at times shocking, message to an audience of 50 in the Lowell House Junior Common Room last night.

The lecture, co-sponsored by the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations, Lowell House and the South Asian Association, was introduced by Ali S.A. Asani '77, professor of the practice of Indo-Muslim languages and culture, who stated that Kamal was, by his own admission, a "somewhat provocative" speaker.

Citing a history of cultural and political differences between predominantly Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan, Kamal said nuclear tests conducted by both countries in May brought tensions to a climax.

Kamal said the Pakistanis launched nuclear devices in response to the security threat posed by India's tests 17 days earlier.

He accused the Indian government of acting irresponsibly in displaying its nuclear capacities.

"The abandonment of restraint in launching nuclear tests was a reckless act that has its roots in the rise of the fundamentalist government in India," said Kamal.

Alleging that the United States ignored Pakistan's warnings prior to the Indian tests, Kamal emphasized the inappropriateness of the U.S. government's surprised reaction to the tests.

"You're a superpower, it's your job to know. A superpower cannot plead ignorance or inability. Preparation for nuclear tests leaves a signature three months long," he said.

Kamal said U.S. failure to properly monitor India's preparations was "an act of acquiescence bordering on collusion. The U.S. supplied India with material necessary to create the bomb, from computers to heavy water to initial fuel."

In the aftermath of the tests, Kamal continued, U.S. foreign policy has been directed toward one goal: to reverse what has happened by stressing the importance of nonproliferation of nuclear weapons.

"The perplexity of U.S. foreign policy is very visible. U.S. foreign policy does not know how to deal with the event," said Kamal, likening nuclear proliferation to the loss of virginity. "It has taken place; it cannot be reversed. The question now is how to manage the present situation."

The answer to that question ultimately lies in dealing with Kashmir, the disputed region between Pakistan and India, Kamal said. He is currently pushing for a

plebiscite among the Kashmiris on whether toself-govern under the auspices of the UN.

According to Kamal, Indians bear an attitude ofsuperiority toward Pakistanis.

"Pakistan is a pimple on the Indiansubcontinent that must be absorbed in order torestore the beauty of mother India," he quipped.

One of Kamal's comments that drew the strongestreaction was his assertion that the Indiangovernment is deceptive.

"The concept of dissimulation and deception isbuilt into the Indian psyche," he said, citingseveral examples of dishonesty in India's recenthistory, including its 1974 launch of a nucleardevice and its false declaration of not being achemical weapons holder in 1995.

During the question and answer period followingKamal's lecture, several students objected to hisopinions.

"You have painted a very lopsided...picture toan audience that does not know very much about theregion," said Shondip Ghosh '01 of Bombay.

Other students appreciated the awareness Kamalraised for the tensions in South Asia.

"I think it's really easy to underestimate howfrightening the situation between India andPakistan is," said Eben E. Kenah '00. "It's partof the basic racism in [the U.S.] outlook on otherparts of the world."

Sameera Fazili '00 also criticized U.S. failureto monitor the situation in South Asia andlamented the cost to human development thebuild-up of nuclear weapons has caused.

"India spends $4 billion for troops, and yetthe per capita income is less than $450," saidFazili.

"The lack of investment in human developmentalso leads to fundamentalism, for the lack ofeducation leads the people to be easily swayed bynationalism and rhetoric," she said

plebiscite among the Kashmiris on whether toself-govern under the auspices of the UN.

According to Kamal, Indians bear an attitude ofsuperiority toward Pakistanis.

"Pakistan is a pimple on the Indiansubcontinent that must be absorbed in order torestore the beauty of mother India," he quipped.

One of Kamal's comments that drew the strongestreaction was his assertion that the Indiangovernment is deceptive.

"The concept of dissimulation and deception isbuilt into the Indian psyche," he said, citingseveral examples of dishonesty in India's recenthistory, including its 1974 launch of a nucleardevice and its false declaration of not being achemical weapons holder in 1995.

During the question and answer period followingKamal's lecture, several students objected to hisopinions.

"You have painted a very lopsided...picture toan audience that does not know very much about theregion," said Shondip Ghosh '01 of Bombay.

Other students appreciated the awareness Kamalraised for the tensions in South Asia.

"I think it's really easy to underestimate howfrightening the situation between India andPakistan is," said Eben E. Kenah '00. "It's partof the basic racism in [the U.S.] outlook on otherparts of the world."

Sameera Fazili '00 also criticized U.S. failureto monitor the situation in South Asia andlamented the cost to human development thebuild-up of nuclear weapons has caused.

"India spends $4 billion for troops, and yetthe per capita income is less than $450," saidFazili.

"The lack of investment in human developmentalso leads to fundamentalism, for the lack ofeducation leads the people to be easily swayed bynationalism and rhetoric," she said