From: IHRO <ihro.in@gmail.com>
To: IHRO@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, 9 May, 2009 10:34:08
Subject: [IHRO] Clinched fist not suitable for handshakes: Pak scholar
PREM BHATIA MEMORIAL LECTURE
Clinched fist not suitable for handshakes: Pak scholar
New Delhi, May 8 
Eminent Pakistani scholar and author Ayesha Siddiqa today fervently appealed to India not to consider military aggression on Pakistan, as that would only embolden elements inimical to the two South Asian neighbours.
Air Chief Marshal OP Mehra (Retd) presents the award to Neerja Choudhary for reporting on political issues. A Tribune photo
"Pakistan must be helped and supported and not merely run down as a problem child of the region that could only be dealt with through force. Infact, the use of force is bound to prove counter-productive," said Siddiqa. She was delivering the 14th Prem Bhatia Memorial lecture on "The Lost Continent".
Earlier, former chief of air staff Air Chief Marshal OP Mehra gave away the Prem Bhatia Memorial Awards for excellence in political journalism to eminent journalist Neerja Choudhary and for best writing on environment to senior journalist from The Hindu Gargi Parsai.
Awards, instituted in the memory of former editor-in-chief of The Tribune Prem Bhatia, carries Rs 1 lakh for best political writing and Rs 60,000 for writing on environment, along with the citations.
Former Indian ambassador to Pakistan G. Parthasarathy presided over the ceremony attended by prominent personalities from different walks of life, including top journalists.
The Pakistani author said in her opinion the jihadis were more dangerous than the Taliban, as they had greater links across the border and were much more meltable across the South Asian region.
She said majority of Pakistan did not support Taliban, which seemed to be a concern of a lot of people in the country, the region and the world over. She also rejected the fear that Islamabad would soon be taken over by the Taliban forces.
"Nothing could be far from the truth. Islamabad remains secure despite that it has seen violence and tension in the past. Surely, the army will see to it that such elements do not take over the Capital," said Siddiqa.
She said the biggest tragedy for India and Pakistan was that our leadership had managed to sustain the Cold War throughout the 61 years of our history.
However, the two countries would always remain relevant for each other due to the common nature of problems shared by the countries, which require a joint solution. Infact, she said, this applied to the entire South Asian region.
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