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The Hindu
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Political Line newsletter: Old Boys and New Men: people in the India-Pakistan conflict
The fact that India and Pakistan (and Bangladesh) were part of the same country until August 1947 has become so remote to most of the people living in these countries that many of them might even find it difficult to believe. These modern countries were formed as a result, at least partly, of British imperial policies which accentuated and aggravated social divisions. American scholar Jeffrey Sachs recently noted that several conflicts of the world currently — in South Asia, West Asia and East Asia (China and Taiwan) — are legacies of British and western imperialism. In the Indian subcontinent, the conflicts began as 'fraternal violence' — to borrow from historian Shruti Kapila. The long history and myth of violent fraternity goes all the way back to the Mahabharata in which the war was within the family. As of today, the rivalries have acquired a new edge that is sharper and more dangerous than in the past. A key factor in the current tone and character of this conflict is the generational shift in both countries. For the first time in history, India and Pakistan are led by people who were born after Independence and the Partition. Three generations — 78 years — have passed since the Partition. In 2014, Narendra Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to be born after Independence (1950). In Pakistan, this shift had happened seven years earlier. Pervez Musharraf was the last ruler/army chief of Pakistan who was born before the Partition. Ashfaq Kayani, who succeeded Musharraf, was born in 1952; The current army chief of Pakistan, Asim Munir, was born in 1968. Musharraf and Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq — who tilted Pakistan irreversibly in the direction of radical Islamisation — were both born in Delhi, and both left the city in 1947. Musharraf as a four-year old and Haq as a graduate of St. Stephen's College. K. Natwar Singh, who joined St. Stephen's a year after Haq left, went to Islamabad as India's High Commissioner when the latter was the ruler of Pakistan. Singh later recounted how Haq would give his private jet to a group of students from St. Stephen's who went to Pakistan. This was not a one-sided affair — Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Leader of Opposition L.K. Advani were both born in what would later become Pakistan. Singh, as PM, would famously dream of a day when one could have 'breakfast in Amritsar, lunch in Lahore and dinner in Kabul'. In 2005, Mr. Advani went to Pakistan, and also visited the St. Patrick's school in Karachi where he studied. He would nostalgically recall stories of his childhood. When Musharraf came to India, he visited his family's home in Old Delhi. Prime Ministers Rajiv Gandhi and Benazir Bhutto shared 'pedigree and degree', as a commentator put it; it was his mother and her father who signed the Simla Agreement. In her last book that she finished before her assassination in 2007, Benazir wrote that Pakistan's ISI suspected her to be an Indian asset and sabotaged her ties with Rajiv. The military leadership of both countries also had personal contacts in the early decades. In 1947, Sam Manekshaw was a Lieutenant Colonel and Yahya Khan was a Major in the British Indian Army. Military assets were partitioned — two-thirds of the personnel going to India and one-third going to Pakistan. Khan purchased from the future Field Marshal a red motorcycle but apparently did not pay the promised amount of ₹1,000 around the time of Partition. During the 1971 war, Manekshaw was the Indian Army chief and Yahya Khan was the President of Pakistan. As per an account by Pakistani columnist Ardeshir Cowasjee in 2008, Field Marshal Manekshaw said after the 1971 Bangladesh war, half in jest: 'I waited for 24 years for ₹1,000 which never came, but now he has paid with half of his country.' Even more dramatic is a slice of the story of the surrender of the Pakistani army in Dhaka. Lieutenant General Kuldip Singh Brar gave this account in an interview to an online news portal about the eventful day of December 16, 1971. Major General Gandharv S. Nagra was leading a contingent of Indian troops to Dhaka. He and Lieutenant General A.A.K. Niazi, the commander of Pakistani forces in East Pakistan, had gone to college together. There was no direct communication between the two armies. The Indian Army chief was asking the Pakistani troops to surrender, over a radio broadcast. Nagra's convoy approached an abandoned post of the Pakistani army near Dhaka, and used the phone there to connect to its command headquarters. Niazi was on the line. 'He (Nagra) said, 'Abdullah, this is Gandharv here' and General Niazi asked, 'Gandharv, where are you?' He said, 'I am at the gate of Dhaka and waiting for you to surrender.' General Niazi said, 'We are ready to surrender, but we don't know who to tell.' General Nagra said, 'We are here.' General Niazi said, 'I'm sending a few cars, you come into Dhaka and we'll work out the surrender terms.' We then went into Dhaka in Pakistani vehicles and saw the hospital, university, airfield en route. We arrived at the HQ, Pakistan Eastern Command. General Niazi came out and embraced General Nagra. They went into the office to talk. Meanwhile, we informed Calcutta that we were in Dhaka, and the Pakistan army was ready to surrender.' The rest of the formality followed. Even through wars, terrorism and continuing conflicts, leaders of both countries had some memories of these countries being one, and this was very personal too. Not only did they share the same country in their memories, all of them were also trained in the western education system. With the complete passing of those generations, the India-Pakistan conflict is in a new phase.
Chicago Tribune
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
With a varsity season already behind her, Fenwick freshman Quinn Sansone plays like it. ‘She's been terrific.'
Midfielder Quinn Sansone is one of five freshmen playing varsity soccer for Fenwick this season. Unlike the others, Sansone actually has previous varsity experience. She came to the Oak Park school after starting as an eighth grader for St. Stephen's Episcopal in Florida, which allows students in middle school to play varsity sports. Illinois does not. 'It was super fun,' Sansone said. 'It was a lot different from club because there was a lot less pressure, and I was able to have fun, like express creativity more. 'I really enjoyed it. It was a really good experience for me to start early.' Sansone didn't merely play at St. Stephen's, which is in Bradenton. She thrived while competing against girls as much as four years older. She won the team MVP award and earned all-state honors from the Florida Athletic Coaches Association after recording 16 goals and 10 assists. 'It definitely gave me more confidence,' Sansone said. 'Just being able to play with older players really helped me raise my pace level, and it helped me work on things that I wouldn't normally be able to work on in club, like taking more opportunities dribbling, taking more shots and working on that side of my game.' Sansone was born in Chicago but moved to Florida in 2020 so she could play sports during the coronavirus pandemic. She attended the prestigious IMG Academy for three years, training and playing with and against some of the top young players in the country. 'IMG was a great experience to help me learn how to travel, like learn how to manage the student-athlete life,' Sansone said. 'Playing with older players really helped me develop both attacking and offensive sides of the game. 'I was playing up my first two years with the 07s and 08s, so that was a great experience to get into 11-on-11 early and develop my tactical side of my game. I was already technical from a young age because I played futsal.' Sansone, who is an only child, could have stayed in Florida. But her family moved back to Chicago so she could continue a family legacy. Sansone's father, Rocco, who played baseball at UIC, is a Fenwick graduate. 'Here was a good option because I had the Eclipse, which is my club team, which is very competitive, and Fenwick is my dad's alma mater,' Sansone said. She said she has adjusted well. 'I was a little nervous going in, but after the school year started, I was really excited because I enjoy the challenging academics and the good classes,' Sansone said. 'Especially playing soccer here is super fun because I get to represent my school. It's a good experience.' Sansone has been good for the Friars (6-8-1), who have benefited from her skill and experience to compete against a tough schedule. Seven of their losses have been one-goal decisions against larger schools. 'She's done well,' Fenwick coach Craig Blazer said. 'She's got a high soccer IQ and is very passionate and very focused, very tough. We're trying to learn about everybody and adapting every day, but she's been terrific for us. 'She's a great student-athlete already. We can see that in the short time that I've known her, so it's a pleasure to have her on the team.' The Friars have welcomed Sansone with open arms. Senior midfielder Finley Dondlinger, a co-captain, likes what Sansone has contributed. 'She's been a huge help throughout the whole season already,' Dondlinger said. 'She's definitely one of our best players. I know I can pass to her and rely on her to keep the ball. She always can keep it.' Sansone has had a hand in nearly half of Fenwick's 30 goals. She has scored seven, which ranks second on the team behind freshman midfielder Lila Gaddipati's 11, and has a team-leading seven assists. 'She's always super positive, and she always knows what she's going to do with the ball right away,' Dondlinger said. 'All of us can trust her with the ball.' That trust works both ways and helps explain Sansone's comfort level. 'I think she's a student of the game, and I think she really enjoys her teammates,' Blazer said. 'I can see that they have a lot of fun together, and I think she's passionate about Fenwick.' Sansone has always been passionate about soccer. 'I was just drawn to it from a really young age,' she said. 'I enjoy the competitive aspect of a team sport, and having the ball at my feet was just very natural. 'My dad was involved in my coaching, so he got me into it. I wouldn't be where I am without him. He's a big help in my soccer career.' Sansone said she's aiming to play at a Division I college and perhaps the professional level after that. But the more immediate question is whether she will play for Fenwick throughout her high school career. 'If you're in an environment that you like and you feel like you're playing better, I can see her playing here all four years,' Blazer said. So can Dondlinger, who gave Sansone some simple advice before the season began. 'Yeah, let's hope,' Dondlinger said. 'I just told her to keep her head up and stay positive. This is just a game. We're playing to have fun.' Sansone is doing just that so far. 'I really enjoy playing with this team,' she said. 'I'm happy.'
