India-Pakistan: Friends on Visa

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I went to Karachi in December and to Lahore in February. While my visit to Karachi was as a peace delegate, I went to Lahore as a part of my college debate team. And my experience in both the cities mirrored the email Mumbaikar has posted.

In Karachi some 13 of us had gone shopping with 2 pakistani hosts. The group consisted of 10 women and 5 hapless guys. Our Pakistani hosts were very worried as to how safe we would be and made us insist that we pretend to be Pakistani. So much so that we all had Pakistani aliases. However in the heat of bargaining the carefully learned urdu phrases were forgotten and just when Shipra (aka Sanam) said, ``bhaiyya, hum door se aye hain discount de dijiye``, the shopkeer chimed up, ``Kya aap India se aye hain``.

And before we knew it, we had Pak cola (its green in colour) ordered for us, stools were pulled out we had discounts on the house and had invitations to dinner.

I`m all in for peace, friendship and people to people interaction but one issue no one has highlighted is that of Pakistani seamen are still denied shore leave in India and vice versa. These are the people who are at sea on days with no end and when they happen to reach shore closest to home they are not allowed to leave port.

These are the people who`d really appreciate India-Pak friendship, not some celebrity making a publicity tour.

from the CHOWK archives


Listen South Asia


Listen to the leaves in the wind

The gentle cry of the myna bird

And smell the mustard

On the breath of spring


I ask not for your silence now

As you plan the atomic future so well

While I cradle the past

With the firmness of the desperate


Your work never rests

Mine is all but forgotten but

Who knows why we cannot

Together weave common rope?


Listen to the children cry

Can you hear them?

Muslim or Hindu, all children

We often claim to be deaf yet

Hear their hunger

As our children cry

by

Ras H. Siddiqui

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Irrespective of what training we need, if you agree that we need to recognize LOC as international border in order for putting Kashmir irritation to rest in both countries and proceeding to develop healthy relations between them, we do not have any substantive difference on the issue at hand.

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#15,arjun:
You need training in logical thinking.
Why would RSS want to give part of Kashmir to Pakistan on platter? My statement refused nothing!
I am more Indian - Hindu Indian at that - than you are, though you rant and rave alot.

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#9, Urstruly:
What can I say if you are not sure of your humanity?