India, as seen from Pakistan

“Rajiv Malhotra”:http://www.sulekha.com/memberpages/profile.asp?shortcut=/rajiv_malhotra sent a link to this article from The News International, a Pakistani Newspaper, which is an article on India as seen from Pakistanis perspective. The article titled “Beyond the edge”:http://www.jang-group.com/thenews/dec2003-daily/14-12-2003/oped/o1.htm is written by Masood Hasan, a Lahore-based columnist and a well-known journalist
Here are some points
bq. Many of us associate India?s new progress with its IT revolution and it is partly true. Indian companies like Moser-Baer located in an equally unknown Noida are now the world?s third largest optical media manufacturer and the lowest-cost producer of CD-Recorders. Exports? Only Rs 1,000 crore ? Indian rupees I might add. This firm sells data-storage products to seven of the world?s top 10 CD-R producers. There is another unknown. Tandon Electronics. Its hardware exports are Rs 4,000 crore.
bq. In the recession-hit West, Indian exports are up by 19% this year and the country?s foreign exchange reserves stand at an all-time high of $82 billion. India is dishing out aid to 11 countries, pre-paying their debt and loaned IMF $300 million!! And since we think banning fashion shows is the way ahead, it might be interesting to know that Wal-Mart sources $1 billion worth of goods from India ? half its apparel, GAP about $600 million and Hilfiger $100 million.
The Pakistani author calls all this information _depressing_ from Pakistan’s point of view. In his mail Rajiv writes
bq. In any case, such articles may be safely sent to the self-alienated elitist Indian journalists, who still see any deviation from the ?caste, cows, curry? images of India as something to be suspicions about. We may now tell them that this is also Pakistan?s view, so they might start to believe it.
And here is a great quote from the article
bq. Some years ago, an Indian said to a Pakistani, “It is true we are both in the gutter. The difference is, we are looking at the stars. You are looking at the gutter.”