Why Indo-Pak Friendship Needs To Shed Diplomacy
“What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.” ―Aristotle
The scars of Kargil and Bangladesh Liberation War are now fading into the rays of hope that shine on both sides as their leaders make an effort to reach out and for once, make a more humane and less diplomatic attempt at the much dreaded relationship known as ‘friendship’.
India’s foreign policy in the last 10 years can be easily described as that of a courteous friend in need with all the aid and grants we gave on humanitarian and diplomatic grounds to Afghanistan and Sri Lanka in their time of need. However, simply being a giver doesn’t help if the relationship is that of a shared identity. Yes, no matter how superior each side might think it is but India and Pakistan do share histories, cultures, ethnicities and in some cases, even languages and the name of our states (Punjab, for example).
The relationship which could have been that of mutual cooperation and special preference to the nearest neighbour has been marred with hostility and distrust instead. Given the number of times we have engaged in stand offs against each other over concerns ranging from Kashmir to terrorism, there is a lot more to be gained by cooperating on ground than just shaking hands in diplomatic meetings and forgetting about it as soon as our respective diplomats come back on the home soil. This has been a common pattern in the past.
Yes, no matter how superior each side might think it is but India and Pakistan do share histories, cultures, ethnicities and in some cases, even languages and the name of our states (Punjab, for example).
A few positives did emerge from UPA’s rule in the past: “Friends Without Borders” scheme was the first message of friendship in 2006 when children were encouraged to make pen pals across the border and the response grew so much that the organisation found it “hard to keep up”. Another positive came in April 2012 when India announced the removal of FDI restrictions from Pakistan after giving it the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status.
All is not lost yet as both countries took struck a positive note when Nawaz Sharif landed in New Delhi to attend the Inauguration of the new Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi. Mr Modi is known for his diplomacy and shrewd knack of pleasing one and all by his actions. Sharif, on the other side of the border, also holds strong mandate and his decision to come despite opposition from many extremist groups was a strong indicator of shedding inhibitions and suspicions for once and extending a friendly hand when India decided to reach out.
The talks didn’t bring out another on-paper measure for the world to contemplate or examine but the warmth in the handshake and the 45-minute long meeting of the two premiers can certainly be taken as fresh sweetness in the soured diplomacy. There’s a lot India and Pakistan can do together if we just stop pulling the wrong strings and proceeding step by step.
Congress-led UPA has done this mistake in the past and hopefully NDA with its stronger mandate and an equally tough leader at the helm will avoid talking about terrorism all the time and strengthen ties, one at a time. Economic relationships need a boost as the budget is a constant worry for both the countries and complementary imports-exports could prove to be a lifeline and make the populace happy.
Another issue that needs to be addressed is that of tourism. The countries should encourage mutual tourism instead of discouraging it by giving nightmares to people seeking a visa to visit our neighbours. Pakistan might not be as safe as a country but so isn’t India. There are dangers from the anti-social elements on the both sides but giving in to the fears will be playing to their wishes and fanning the flames of separatism.
On the other hand, sporting events have been on halt for too long now and the bias against Pakistani cricketers and other sportsmen should end in India. Indian Premier League missed the action from Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul quite a lot, this time. Let’s take a cue from the duo of tennis stars Rohan Bopanna of India and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan who are dubbed as “Indo-Pak Express” and start working towards more bilateral tournaments and training initiatives that don’t limit the countries to cricket. The long standing hockey rivalry should be an exciting starting point.
Another issue that needs to be addressed is that of tourism. The countries should encourage mutual tourism instead of discouraging it by giving nightmares to people seeking a visa to visit our neighbours. Pakistan might not be as safe as a country but so isn’t India. There are dangers from the anti-social elements on the both sides but giving in to the fears will be playing to their wishes and fanning the flames of separatism.
The time is right for Modi and Sharif to prove their critics wrong and ink a story of renewed friendship and cooperation that is long overdue. If USA and Canada can do it because of their shared British heritage, then why can’t we? Let us be the Most Friendly Nations first and take it forward from there.