TiE's Proposed Chapter in Pakistan 

By Moorthy Muthuswamy, December 2000

I understand from news reports that The IndUS Entrepreneurs would like to help Pakistan expand its presence and productivity in the area of information technology by opening a chapter there. I would like to start by applauding Kanwal Rekhi and others at TiE for having done such a selfless and effective job in helping India. As an organization dominated by people of Indian origin, a legitimate question arises if TiE helping Pakistan is at the expense of India (India West, Jan. 12).

More than anything else the following fact stares at everyone's face: Every Muslim majority region in the Indian sub-continent - be it Pakistan, Bangladesh or the Kashmir Valley, has seen extensive non-Muslim ethnic cleansing, with people driven to India. This pattern has repeated over the last 50 years in a systematic manner and has been sponsored by Pakistan. This is strong evidence that Islamic Pakistan as a nation does not care for the well being of non-Muslims living in that region.

The question many of us need to ask is, given the fact that Muslims have lands more or less exclusively for themselves, how can we ensure that non-Muslims have India - the secular land to live and prosper - free of Islamic terrorism. The expanding proxy war waged by Pakistan has the potential to kill the Indian economy. It has already hampered India's economic growth by limiting investments in infrastructure and diverting scarce resources to defend the nation. Pakistan is yet to be made accountable for these criminal activities. What stops Pakistan from continuing this same pattern which will clearly be at the expense of India?

Self-preservation strategies are relevant for nations and civilizations as well, not just restricted to corporations. To those of us who have the means and brains to take a big picture view of India's long term survival, let me ask one question: Is it wise to promote the well being of Pakistan that has not changed its pattern and is working to destroy the very civilization many of us are from?