One Afternoon

``India is the easiet to drive into, book into a hotel and take a walk in the city.``

Like the way you said that. If only. . .

F. R. Khan

A very good theme & article.

I remember a respected soul, probably Hakeem Saeed or Haroon Ahmed of Dawn, saying that he used to give recommendation letter to Pakistanis who intended to visit Ajmer Shreef. The Indian Embassy honoured his letter and invariably gave the Visa.

One day, two intelligence guys turned up and asked him why the Indian Embassy honours his letter. He replied that `` simply because they trust me``.

The intelligence guys said that you continue doing the same; but put 1-2 of our men also in the group. He refused. He said that since that day, he stopped giving out recommendation letters for Visa.

So the state agencies also play their part, on both sides, to prevent an easy people to people acces - on security grounds.

On the Pakistani side, a small group also expresses another ridiculous fear ``cultural invasion``. It is same culture minus the religious rituals. Probably the last 50 years has made Pakistani culture a bit more conservative - in middle classess & religious minority.
But for the vast majority of common man, in both Punjab & Sind provinces bordering India, culture is identical.

For an average Pakistani traveller, pardoxically, it is more cumbursome to enter territories of other neighbours -

Afghanistan - unsafe, unpredictable.
Iran - main hub of society 100s of miles away, rough terrain, language problem.
China - unfamiliar, unknown, language problem.

India is the easiet to drive into, book into a hotel and take a walk in the city.

re: this article
A nice article.
May we all take the first step towards peace. As the Chinese proverb goes, a journey begins with the first step.
Sridhar

#10
`.......It is the fact that Indians know next to nothing about Pakistan, and thus get heavily influenced by anti-Pakistan sources, within their own country. And that there are no financial and business ties between the two countries, which usually result in quick solutions to political problems. . . .`

why lay the burden solely on Indians. . .is it not true that Pakistanis know next to nothing about India as well save for whatever misinformation we`re given, be it in school or our families or other sources? it can be said that Pakistanis are heavily influenced by anti-India sources as well. we can watch indian movies and love listening to kishoreda or lata or jagjit singh, but then we still have young pakistanis who will draw pictures on a chalkboard of a pakistani plane shooting at an indian one, and have all sorts of misconceptions of India.

yes we should open our borders, but if the biggest problem with peace is that Indians know next to nothing about Pakistan, well. . .we have an even bigger problem than the biggest one don`t we?

Mr. Khan

Good article.

romair #10
``And it will cost zero ruppees. In the long run, it will favor Pakistan, far more than it will favor India. ``

Pakistan will benefit greatly if its interactions with India became more open. Indians won`t lose out either. If Pakistan makes out a great deal more, that`s all right too. There is nothing for India to worry about if Pakistan is friendly to India, or at least, is not terminally anti India. Such a Pakistan can be as strong and prosperous as it desires to be.

Yet none of this will happen.

Ironic to hear Romair claim that Indians don`t know Pakistan. I know Pakistan well enough to predict today that none of the yarns that Romair spins on Chowk will ever become real.

So either he doesn`t know enough about Pakistan, or he suffers from acute hallucinations about what Indians know or don`t know about Pakistan.

Peace will benefit both countries. People should work to create peace and quiet without waiting for the most difficult mutual problems to be solved. Mr. F.R. Khan has adopted the approach that is sensible and needed.

F. R. Khan

Hats off... great theme and even greater message. If only the ignoramus indicus on both sides of the Radcliff Line could understand this, world history would change.

Just as an aside, the Radcliff Line was carved on a map, as far as I have gathered, not in Punjab Club, but in his private room in Flatties Hotel, Lahore. But that is a minor detail.

Romair [``...Pakistan should completely open trade with India (other than in areas, where Pakistani businesses will get decimated), without worrying about whether India opens it or not. ...``]

Such good suggestions you make and then ruin them by putting a protectionist clause in paranthesis. You should either have open trade or you don`t. Protecting inefficieny, corruption and incompetence does no good. Why should the poor chowidar Allah Ditta in Rang Mehal have to pay a higher price for his purchase so that the fat industrialist Mohammed Sharif gets the profit instead of seith Lala Banarsi Daas? How does that help Allah Ditta?

...SR

Thanks, FR Khan.

I used to visit this place, Wagah/Attari border, fairly frequently till around 1999, the Delhi-Amritsar-Wagah and return route was kind of good for testing cars on, with a variety of sub-sets giving you all sorts of roads and options.

The best experience I had was on the night of 14/15 August`97, before the grandstands came up. Entry was still restricted, depended on who you knew at the Post. The ``club`` on the Indian side was right bang on the border, and exchange of alcohol was a big ticket.

The other (amazing?) view of this line is when you are flying in (non-Air India) towards Delhi from the West, or from Delhi to the West. Presumably, flying from Lahore/Islamabad towards Singapore/Bangkok (non-PIA) would use the same air-route too? Both Lahore and Amritsar are brightly lit cities, with a belt of darkness in between. On a clear night, the border fence, which is lit, can be seen like a thin necklace, defining the twists and turns that the British babu (no doubt assisted by our own quislings?) and his pen took on a map. It is maybe my imagination, but I think the airplane interiors becomes silent as people looking out of windows realise what they are seeing.

Yes, it is true that the inertia levels of maintaining friction between India and Pakistan work towards changing matters. But then, let us put it this way, just today we read about how air travel between India & Sri Lanka has been further eased.

I agree that Pakistan could take the lead in letting Indian visitors in, atleast to specified places of mutual interest. Taxila, the leading gurudwaras, specific hill stations, game reserves, preserved temples . . . these need to be aimed at high value and middle class tourists, just like Nepal does. Take your chances with the flux that will subsequently occur, it can`t be worse than anything now, right?

I agree that Romair has a point, most Indians have a rather different view on Pakistan from what it really is. This view is, obviously, influenced by PTV shows which are now really boring, CNN and BBC type shows which are sanctimonious and condescending, and other inputs from media which stress on the feudal/colonial aspects of Pakistan. This fix needs to come from Pakistan.

For that matter, even after decades of knowing Pakistanis, visiting it once myself though way back in the late `70s in transit, I myself tend to compare Pakistan with Bihar. Sad, but true.

Once again, thank you for a fair article.

Very well written article. The scene is described in a captivating manner, and an important point is made very well. Very nice.

Ref Field Marshal #10

[The biggest problem in peace in South Asia is not Kashmir, or history, or Jinnah or Musharraf or Vajpayee or Bangladesh. It is the fact that Indians know next to nothing about Pakistan...]

This from a man who says that the BJP is worse than the MMA!

Pakistan should completely open its borders with India, without worrying about whether India reciprocates or not. Let any Indian who wants to enter Pakistan, enter without problems. Also, Pakistan should completely open trade with India (other than in areas, where Pakistani businesses will get decimated), without worrying about whether India opens it or not.

The biggest problem in peace in South Asia is not Kashmir, or history, or Jinnah or Musharraf or Vajpayee or Bangladesh. It is the fact that Indians know next to nothing about Pakistan, and thus get heavily influenced by anti-Pakistan sources, within their own country. And that there are no financial and business ties between the two countries, which usually result in quick solutions to political problems.

The average Indian view, and even the above average Indian view, of Pakistan is so different from the real Pakistan, that it is not even funny. Once they see the real Pakistan, their stance will get much softer. Without getting into the details, this is the gist of my ten years of working, studying, eating, talking, evaluating, reading with and about Indians, on a daily basis. The above will be the best foreign policy move Pakistan can make. And it will cost zero ruppees. In the long run, it will favor Pakistan, far more than it will favor India.

A very moving story. These stories are repeated many a times in Cyprus, Korea, and other unfortunate lands. The problem with Korea is that nobody smiles or enjoys another`s music. One can be shot for putting a wrong foot forward. What will happen at the Israeli fence is anybody`s guess.

feroz,
thank you for sharing this with us. there are and have been people-to-people contacts happening alongside the borders with women (i hope i`m allowed to share the article, old as it is, as soon as i can find it about the women), as well as what you`ve described.
and the way you`ve written it put me right there - - and i hope to be there someday.

and t., what do you mean he hasn`t changed? kuch tau hua hoga na? a person who isn`t transformed even the slightest bit by experiencing something like this in the midst of being surrounded by `hate` and demonization of the `other`, isn`t likely to write something like this, don`t you think? it would be nice to know what has changed in him though.
love,
ana

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Nice article !!

This was very touching Feroz sahib. I felt almost the same when the faujis took us National Cadet Corps out for a trip to the Wahga border. All those feelings of hostility that are injected inside you just vanish when you see the other side equally excited to see you and what you have to offer. There are cheers and shouts but nothing like misbehaviour from either side.

F. R. Khan:

This is one of the best articles written from a traveler`s perspective that I have read in ages.

Impressive.

May God help us to challenge and wipe out our biases against fellow humans.