Prawn Curry and Collard Greens: A Defining Partnership

Last week, at the first state dinner of the Obama presidency, Manmohan Singh and Obama helped themselves to prawn curry, coconut flavored basmati rice, potato dumplings, and collard greens. While they savored the flavors and enjoyed the night away under a giant tent on the South Lawn of the White House with more than 300 guests, not a single media anchor in Pakistan bothered to analyze Singh's visit to the U.S.


"The relationship between the United States and India will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century"....Obama said this not once, but twice. As Manmohan Singh cuddled up to Obama for the next 2 hours in the Oval Office, and finally got a chance to speak his heart out after India sat out for the longest time when W was running the show, we were too busy figuring out the Who's Who of the NRO list.


Not a single yapping political talk show host raised an eyebrow on what it was exactly that Singh was saying to Obama. Of all the foolish bickering and repetitive analyses that occurs on these shows, it wouldn't have hurt to finally talk about something important. Something that has legitimate consequences for Pakistan and is far more worthy of listening to than Firdous Ashiq Awan's characterisitic brute and crass yelling extravaganza.


The favoritism that America is playing cannot be ignored. Our country stands at a very critical moment in time. The war that our soldiers are fighting is not ours to begin with. In fact, it has no legitimate rationale. The daily deaths of 30, 50, 100 people in our cities is becoming a harsh and upsetting routine. Fact remains that the terrorism that occurs in our cities has been brought in. We're constantly compelled to answer questions on the international floor about issues that no one has a right to bully us about.


Someone needs to grow a backbone, more importantly a conscience, and stand up to all this. Our present leaders obviously will never. They are satisfied throwing rose petals at the feet of the US as they plan to trample us over. The game that India is trying to play cannot be allowed and should be stopped.


The considerable leeway that India gets from the US is appalling. And in all this time, Pakistan has been forced to stand in the corner. If we are the ally that US says we are, then when will we be treated like one?


Why is there no mention of the terrorism that occurs in India? A country, where an Australian missionary and his 2 sons are burned alive and thousands others for not being Hindu, should be questioned on its stance of "secular democracy".


The media can play a crucial role in thwarting and exposing India's deception. But, this can only happen if these narcisstic anchors can stop thinking about the ratings of their show, and start thinking about protecting this country.