RAFI AAMER, NJ

Dear Mr. Jawaid Chaudhry,

What you have written in your latest letter is absolutely right. I agree with you that our future shouldn't be held hostage by our past but that is only possible thru a candid and fare analysis of the follies of the past so that we know where and what went wrong. Realization of the past is the only way to a future that is free of the pitfalls that we experienced in past.

Despite the unimpressive past relations of these two nations, Pakistan and India, I am hopeful about the future. My optimism stems from the fact that in the information era, it's not possible anymore for the old guard to indoctrinate the youth and poison their minds with the venom that they were infected with in their own young age. The signs are too apparent that the educated youth on both sides of the divide is ready and willing to shed the mental cobwebs. The information revolution that was initiated by the advent of Internet has liberated the youth to a large extent and it will keep performing miracles. Free flow of information is challenging the long-held beliefs. In the old days, governments could curb the opposing views, ban unwanted books and imprison dissenters. All that made it impossible to have access to all sides of any debate. Now, the opposing views are a Google search away.

So, even though there are still reasons for concern, the future looks promising. The best we can do is to encourage the young generation to inspect everything that they are told/taught with the magnifying glass and accept only what they think is acceptable.

Rafi

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