By Sushil Kutty
Congress leader Salman Khurshid has asked Pakistan to end terrorism. CPM’s Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas also voiced the same thought. Khurshid is Muslim and Brittas is Christian. Brittas stressed the point that he’s a Kerala Christian and that there are Christians and Hindus along with lots and lots of Muslims in Kerala. So, don’t think the entire Kerala citizenry is Muslim as some people have been going hammer & tongs on Social Media.
This after ‘Malabari expats’ from Kerala went gaga over Pakistani cricketer ‘Boom-Boom Shahid Afridi, who is some sort of ‘Idol’ to the Gulf Malabari, whose taste buds for ‘Sulemani chai’ is of note next only to the now extinct ‘Modi Chai’.
Shahid Afridi hates Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ‘Modi Chai’ as well. And Afridi couldn’t stop himself from casting aspersions on Prime Minister Modi when terrorists from Pakistan shot dead 26 men after ascertaining they were Hindu. If there was a sneaking feeling that Afridi was quite okay with “hindu killings”, the thought isn’t lost on Shahid Afridi.
So, here’s the bottomline: Salman Khurshid is an ‘Indian Muslim’ head to toe and in the heart as well. Afridi on the other hand is ‘Pakistani Muslim’ and there’s a difference. The Pakistani Muslim is loyal to Pakistan. Not all of the Indian Muslims, though. There are some who, given a chance, and the right conscience, would sell ‘India that is Bharat’ down the river Ganga.
Among them plenty from the 100% literate state. The Malabari malayali practically owns the Gulf and in Dubai’s Karama you might end up dying of thirst if you don’t know that ‘vellam’ is malayalam for ‘water!”
Last night (May 30), Malabari malayalis gave Shahid Afridi a rip-roaring welcome in Dubai that laid low everything the seven MPs’ delegations had been striving to achieve with their hit-Pakistan hard diplomacy.
That the Malayali Muslims love Shahid Afridi is an affront to north Indian Muslims like Mohammad Kaif, another cricketer, who wouldn’t give the time of the day to Afridi on a day with a cloudy overcast sky.
The Malayali Malabari doesn’t care two bits whose sensitivities he’s stepping on as long as he is contributing to the brotherhood. Stressing a “strong, united message that transcends political lines and reflects national consensus” isn’t his cup of tea.
The Malabari Muslim is cut from a different cloth that wouldn’t fit Salman Khurshid. Neither will it fit John Brittas. The Rajya Sabha MP belongs to a political party which respects plurality and goes the extra mile to reassure Malabari Muslims that they’re as valued as any other Indian citizen.
It might not have crossed John Brittas’ thoughts that the reality is never that which you think and see.
Salman Khurshid told Jakartans that it was not India but Pakistan that had asked for a quick stop of Operation Sindoor and the first call for cessation of hostilities came from Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO). President Trump is telling a different story, but Khurshid rejected Trump’s claim.
Khurshid is a former external affairs minister and his response to Trump’s unfounded claims was “complete hogwash”. “… Why would we call them first? Who was at the receiving end by the time the calls were made? It is more than clear to everybody that the call came from the DGMO of Pakistan to the DGMO of India. And we stopped when they said ‘Let’s stop’… And we then didn’t send any further attacks on them.”
Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7. It was not a military confrontation, like the Trump administration keeps repeating, but “War”, which is still on. The Pakistan-backed terrorists killed 26 and then returned to their holes in Pakistan.
The 100% literate Malayali at times forgets his moorings. The widely circulated video showing the grand welcome given to Shahid Afridi produced cheers as well as jeers. Afridi took the moment of adulation to commit himself to “the Kerala part in India and its food.” But ask him about India and Prime Minister Modi and Afridi will descend to gutter-level!.John Brittas jumped the gun and it was too late.
The CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP took aim at Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir’s “two-nation theory” that Hindus and Muslims are inherently different. “Asim Munir said something about Hindus and Muslims being different. Can you ever vouch for that?” Brittas asked. “Salman Khurshid is here. We are all together. I am from Kerala… I am a Christian. In Kerala, we have three major religions. We coexist in harmony. That is the message of India.” John Brittas didn’t know Shahid Afridi. More importantly, John Brittas doesn’t know the Malabari Muslim! (IPA Service)
Pakistan’s Military Is Making Use Of War Fever With India To Boost Its Power 