Why not South Asia?

It is really shocking to read that Europe was the battlefield of the Second World War (1939–1945). The heart of the World Wars was the conflict between Germany and its European neighbors. These were some of the most developed countries in the world and they just destroyed each other. The Second World War caused the deaths of around sixty million soldiers and civilians. Many cities, towns and villages across Europe were completely destroyed by bombing. Besides all this bloody game it is also said that great events have great effects. European nations decided to prevent such killing and destruction from ever happening again. West European nations created the Council of Europe in 1949; it was the first step towards cooperation between them. Then it was a continuous process of connectivity, cooperation, support and growth. This gave birth to the European Union; the world’s largest community with different languages and cultures but with the vision of peace and prosperity of mankind. Today, the European Union is a major global player in almost all fronts. They are considered the guardians of values and nobility. My purpose to share this whole story is obviously not to challenge your knowledge about history, but to share my thought that “Is there any lesson for South Asia?” I believe that almost every reader of this note will agree with me by saying a big “Yes”. Lessons are there but where are the brains to clutch and implement those lessons. Since 1947, South Asia’s two largest Nations-Pakistan and India, with a population of more than 1.4 billion inhabitants have experienced the biggest and the fierce migration in the history of mankind and fought three bloody wars. In India, almost 21.9% of the population lives below the national poverty line, 163 million people do not have access to clean drinking water and 104 million Indian people are living in slums. If we talk about Pakistan, the scenario is not even satisfactory. I do not want to comment on the political intentions of both countries’ leadership, but I have the right to ask that if European nations can learn lessons and make their people prosperous, then why not South Asia?

It is really shocking to read that Europe was the battlefield of the Second World War (1939–1945). The heart of the World Wars was the conflict between Germany and its European neighbors. These were some of the most developed countries in the world and they just destroyed each other. The Second World War caused the deaths of around sixty million soldiers and civilians. Many cities, towns and villages across Europe were completely destroyed by bombing. Besides all this bloody game it is also said that great events have great effects. European nations decided to prevent such killing and destruction from ever happening again. West European nations created the Council of Europe in 1949; it was the first step towards cooperation between them. Then it was a continuous process of connectivity, cooperation, support and growth. This gave birth to the European Union; the world’s largest community with different languages and cultures but with the vision of peace and prosperity of mankind. Today, the European Union is a major global player nn almost all fronts. They are considered the guardians of values and nobility. My purpose to share this whole story is obviously not to challenge your knowledge about history, but to share my thought that “Is there any lesson for South Asia?” I believe that almost every reader of this note will agree with me by saying a big “Yes”. Lessons are there but where are the brains to clutch and implement those lessons. Since 1947, South Asia’s two largest Nations-Pakistan and India, with a population of more than 1.4 billion inhabitants have experienced the biggest and the fierce migration in the history of mankind and fought three bloody wars. In India, almost 21.9% of the population lives below the national poverty line, 163 million people do not have access to clean drinking water and 104 million Indian people are living in slums. If we talk about Pakistan, the scenario is not even satisfactory. I do not want to comment on the political intentions of both countries’ leadership, but I have the right to ask that if European nations can learn lessons and make their people prosperous, then why not South Asia?