In every aspect of life we often observe brothers rising against each other. India and Pakistan once formed a part of a unified state, and there is a lot that has been written and spoken about on the subsequent falling apart of the two brother nations. So, instead of talking about the conflict between India and Pakistan, let us, for a change, talk about what can be done to transform the two nations from Brothers with Arms into Brothers of Peace.

Before entering into any discussion on the subject, there is a need to understand the culture and capabilities of the two nations. India has been hailed as a fast developing economy and a lot of information is available about the nation. Let us, therefore, have a look at the capability of its neighbour, Pakistan. The average growth for Pakistan, before the Afghan issue, till 2004-2006 was at 6-8% yearly. The country received the top performer of the Region for new reform from World Bank during 2005. A few years back Pakistan managed top performance in terms of the fastest growing economy in the world, only behind China. And Pakistan’s services sector is the fastest growing in the region.

Having been led into the path of Terrorism, and despite facing tremendous internal as well as external issues, they still seem to be able to manage their current growth to an average of about 5.8%, their core sectors being agriculture, textiles, chemical industry and services sector. Their rapid growth in textile industry seems to outperform the world’s thread industry, as they move up the value chain. They are one of the largest producers of some of the agricultural products like mangoes and onions, to name a few.

Having been such a great country, and one that happens to have stumbled into some terrible issues, it’s  upto India to help its brother nation deal with the troubles it is currently facing. But, that will not happen in a short while. The agreement earlier signed between Mr. Pervez Musharraf and Mr. Manmohan Singh did seem promising, but the poor control of the terrorist network within the country and internal politics has cost Pakistan heavily.

Two countries like India and Pakistan – when they stand together – can be compared with the greatest strength of the world, as they both complement each other. The so called Goliaths of the world are now taking advantage of the age old principle of divide and rule.

So, how can we bring about a change during our time so that new generation of the two countries live as Brothers of Peace. If we look at it from the government point of view, then resolving the following issues could be a way:

• Dialogue on normalization of relations
• Dialogue on Kashmir & within Kashmir
• Dialogue within Each country
• Dialogue on Line of Control

It is, however, escaping our responsibility as individuals if we expect the governments to do all the work. There are somethings that we can do as individuals too. For starters we can use social networking as a platform for change. I know of a good friend who happens to be in an extended friendship with a brother from our brother nation. They keep in touch, and talk about their lives in the two countries. Well, that is an inspiration for us all. If we all are able to extend such cordial relationships with our friends who are separated from us by a manually built line of control, then flowers will blossom -  slowly, but surely. When we are able to extend and support friendships across continents, what stops us from building such relationships with our brothers and sisters who are merely a theoretically drawn line away. If each of the online Indian, or Pakistani,who is into networking on social platforms does this, there will definitely be a change in terms of perception and attitude.

We can make a further difference by helping them with our efforts during their calamities, or bomb strikes, through these social networking platforms. It’s a change that must happen and the online citizens of the two nations can be the change agents to do that. At the end of the day, we are bonded by ties of history, tradition and culture…aren’t we? When we talk about changing the world using these platforms, why not start with that?