 India achieved independence in 1947 and with independence, the new country with its ancient civilization inherited problems as vast as her size. The government set about the task of making a democratic nation out of diverse peoples speaking hundreds of different languages. Their religion was one of love, love between husband and wife, love as a means of conquering self, unworldly they were called. But they were united in their patriotism for Mother India, and some of India's harshest problems began to yield. One problem, the most serious, did not. The problem of Muslim versus Hindu, of Pakistan versus India. This week, ECHO looks at the dangers of the confrontation between India and Pakistan. It illustrates the achievements and the problems. The modern city, modern amenities, business life, shops, housing, employment, organization, the rule of law, care for the environment, planning, administration. The old ways of life are coming to terms with the new. Overpopulated still, but India has made headway in controlling a disastrous rise in the birth rate. Modern farmers are taking to new ways. Miracle rice and wheat are beginning to feed the stomachs of a country that contains nearly 15% of the human race. The effects can be seen. Things are better. Street life continues. There is even a little left over for small luxuries. But each country, India and Pakistan, inherited a minority. Muslims in India, Hindus in Pakistan. With our devout, often contradictory, but always unquestioning in their loyalties. The Ganges, the sacred river of the Hindus, contains along its banks the continuing history of Hindu architecture and of Hindu devotion. The devotion is to selfless love and peace. The individual may achieve this. Others have war and hatred brought to them. A new terror has come. West Pakistan, where these refugees come from, rose against the West Pakistani government and declared a separate state, Bangladesh. The supposed domination of a government 1,000 miles away was resented by the East. West Pakistani forces were ordered to take over. Muslim fought Muslim. There were scenes of indescribable brutality. Little mercy was shown. These refugees, old men, the sick, women, children, the dispossessed, fled over the only border that was open to them, into India. They cannot go back. The insurrection in Bangladesh continues. These are highly trained professional soldiers. They wear the uniforms they wore as Pakistani regulars minus the rankings. If captured, they are under automatic sentence of death. They are fighting for Bangladesh. West Pakistan is anxious. Bangladesh guerrillas sank four Pakistani supply vessels in one week. Reports indicate little cooperation from the East Pakistani people. West Pakistan suspects Indian influence, even penetration by spies and agitators. The Pakistani government fears India may try and settle old scores. Kashmir various border clashes by occupying East Pakistan and setting up a puppet Bangladesh regime. Pakistan's President Yaya Khan keeps his eyes on the Indian border. Well, I'm watching it with great patience. And I'm warning the world that if they have any idea of taking a chunk of my territory in East Pakistan and think this is not war, let me warn you and I warn the world that this will mean war, an oral war, which I hate, I don't like. But for the defense of my country, I must then fight an up-all-out war. There will be a war here in West Pakistan. How close are you to war with India? Very near it. In India, support for Bangladesh stems from hopelessness in the face of over 8 million refugees. Calcutta alone accepting a quarter of a million in 48 hours. And the wish by a minority to invade East Pakistan, return the refugees and avoid an almost insuperable problem for India herself. The police manage to retain control and try wherever possible to cool hot tempers. In line with the government's policy of Indian sovereignty and control within her own borders while avoiding provocation to those outside. But if the situation gets out of hand, the Indian army is more than an exercise in skilled horsemanship. This army derives like that of Pakistan from the British army. Like the Pakistanis, it uses the same drill, wears similar uniforms, and it is as well trained and equipped. Should these two forces meet in combat, it will not be with ceremonial pomp. The pent-up anger and frustration of 20-year struggle for national pride and development, the old issues, real or imagined between Hindu and Muslim, Pakistani and Indian, would be likely to produce a spectacular clash which neither country could afford. Wars are more expensive than development. One extended battle can cost the equivalent of a new steel mill. The hard reality is that countries desperately struggling with the economic and social problems of modernization simply cannot afford wars. Civil war in East Pakistan, crisis in the subcontinent. The tension has spread. Allies of the two countries have tried to intervene. The signs have been ominous. Alongside modern technology, however, there remains patience, perseverance, hereditary skill. These old virtues may yet shape a new world. It is difficult to counsel patience to a people who have suffered centuries of poverty, famine, and underdevelopment, both Indian and Pakistani. An outburst of frustration would not be hard to understand. In a situation that has not yet slipped beyond the control of the countries involved, the accumulated wisdom and strength of ancient civilizations may once again retrieve security and peace of mind. The ability to adapt and endure has been proved over thousands of years. This may now be needed, perhaps more than science and technology, in the way that lies ahead.