Despite all the right noises that Diplomats and politicians make on both sides of the Indo-Pak border,a genuine visitor still has to go through a harrowing experience to merely seek a visa.The situation is perhaps the same whether you are an Indian or a Pakistani who wants to cross the border.People to people contact which has been on the priority list for decades has made no progress whatsoever,as I discovered during a recent memorable visit to Karachi.
The organizers of a seminar on "The Human Face of Piracy" which was jointly conceived by a group of Indians and Pakistanis and supported by Dalhousie University of Canada(which has done seminal work on the subject) NDU of USA and conducted at the campus of Bahria University at Karachi;, were determined to ensure that the two players(India and Pakistan) who contribute substantial seafarers to the Merchant Marine participated in the seminar. To those who are not aware of the complications of conducting a seminar in either Pakistan or India, let me explain.The respective Ministries of External Affairs and Internal security have to scrutinize the proposal and satisfy their "curiosity" on why it should be held in the first instance. Thereafter the participants from India/Pakistan have to submit all their papers defining their profession and interests while filling the visa appliction form-which by itself is a very unique one. It becomes more complex if the applicant had anything to do with the Armed forces or other "Interesting Services" run by the respective Governments.
Adhering to every rule laid down by our Govts, the organizers processed each of the papers and followed it up at regular intervals. But then there is a very strict code of conduct based on the principle of quid pro quo-which somehow conspires to harass the applicant till almost the day of departure.People tp people contact is just not on the agenda of our officials who continue to treat every visitor as a possible threat to national security. All this when the youth and the electronic media- enabled citizens on bothsides have moved on from the post partition trauma. The information flow which cannot easily be controlled has brought about a realistic assessment of each others intentions and capabilities. That ,India under sustained democratic polity has gained substantially in all walks of life, is an acknowledged fact at the' people- level.' There is quite a desire to see what has empowered India to enable her to leverage her soft power under the overarching umbrella of economic growth. There is genuine desire to participate in a similar growth venture through exchange of ideas rather than confrontation through outdated and bankrupt politico-military strategies which have kept the two apart.
How will any of us know that such a desire among the youth of Pakistan in particular is going viral, unless we visit each other as tourists,businessmen,scientists,scholars and simply professionals.
This visit of mine after a lapse of 25 years bewildered me.There were no signs of violence on the streets of Karachi as one is made to believe by the media. The students,a large cross section of them,were as global in their thinking as they were gizmo savvy. A mirror image of an upper middle class section of India.Commerce,business,bollywood,music,the Delhi Metro,the new international airports of Delhi,Bengaluru and Hyderabad etc were the subjects of curious and admiring youth with a strong desire to visit. Why not study in one of the IIM's or IIT's. When can we travel freely? Can we stay with you? These were the exchanges and not religion,mullas,fundamentalism or even talibanisation-not even mentioned in passing. They are too busy looking ahead at their future prospects and appear to have little or no time to worry about possibility of a failed state.
Had I not been there during the regime of President Zia, I would not have pinched myself so many imes to remind myself that I was indeed in Karachi. Some may say that Karachi was always different-the Mumbai of Pakistan where the next meal was more important than everything else. But then the spontaneous warmth, the ready engagement even after being told that I was an Indian and the tears at farewell cannot easily be enacted. In any case at 65, I have seen enough to judge what is genuine. I suggest you judge for yourself when the borders are opened with a new vias regime. I am told it is round the corner.!!That will be the beginning of a new era in the sub-continent.
The organizers of a seminar on "The Human Face of Piracy" which was jointly conceived by a group of Indians and Pakistanis and supported by Dalhousie University of Canada(which has done seminal work on the subject) NDU of USA and conducted at the campus of Bahria University at Karachi;, were determined to ensure that the two players(India and Pakistan) who contribute substantial seafarers to the Merchant Marine participated in the seminar. To those who are not aware of the complications of conducting a seminar in either Pakistan or India, let me explain.The respective Ministries of External Affairs and Internal security have to scrutinize the proposal and satisfy their "curiosity" on why it should be held in the first instance. Thereafter the participants from India/Pakistan have to submit all their papers defining their profession and interests while filling the visa appliction form-which by itself is a very unique one. It becomes more complex if the applicant had anything to do with the Armed forces or other "Interesting Services" run by the respective Governments.
Adhering to every rule laid down by our Govts, the organizers processed each of the papers and followed it up at regular intervals. But then there is a very strict code of conduct based on the principle of quid pro quo-which somehow conspires to harass the applicant till almost the day of departure.People tp people contact is just not on the agenda of our officials who continue to treat every visitor as a possible threat to national security. All this when the youth and the electronic media- enabled citizens on bothsides have moved on from the post partition trauma. The information flow which cannot easily be controlled has brought about a realistic assessment of each others intentions and capabilities. That ,India under sustained democratic polity has gained substantially in all walks of life, is an acknowledged fact at the' people- level.' There is quite a desire to see what has empowered India to enable her to leverage her soft power under the overarching umbrella of economic growth. There is genuine desire to participate in a similar growth venture through exchange of ideas rather than confrontation through outdated and bankrupt politico-military strategies which have kept the two apart.
How will any of us know that such a desire among the youth of Pakistan in particular is going viral, unless we visit each other as tourists,businessmen,scientists,scholars and simply professionals.
This visit of mine after a lapse of 25 years bewildered me.There were no signs of violence on the streets of Karachi as one is made to believe by the media. The students,a large cross section of them,were as global in their thinking as they were gizmo savvy. A mirror image of an upper middle class section of India.Commerce,business,bollywood,music,the Delhi Metro,the new international airports of Delhi,Bengaluru and Hyderabad etc were the subjects of curious and admiring youth with a strong desire to visit. Why not study in one of the IIM's or IIT's. When can we travel freely? Can we stay with you? These were the exchanges and not religion,mullas,fundamentalism or even talibanisation-not even mentioned in passing. They are too busy looking ahead at their future prospects and appear to have little or no time to worry about possibility of a failed state.
Had I not been there during the regime of President Zia, I would not have pinched myself so many imes to remind myself that I was indeed in Karachi. Some may say that Karachi was always different-the Mumbai of Pakistan where the next meal was more important than everything else. But then the spontaneous warmth, the ready engagement even after being told that I was an Indian and the tears at farewell cannot easily be enacted. In any case at 65, I have seen enough to judge what is genuine. I suggest you judge for yourself when the borders are opened with a new vias regime. I am told it is round the corner.!!That will be the beginning of a new era in the sub-continent.
No comments:
Post a Comment