I first visited India back in 2007. When I returned, I wrote: “It had always been my dream to visit India one day because the country fascinates me. India’s rich culture and history and the fact that both India and Pakistan share a common history, including bittersweet memories, only added to my fascination.”
I have been to India many times since then; my passports are filled mostly with Indian visas. The last time I visited India was in July 2016 for a friend’s wedding. This is the longest stretch that I have gone without visiting India since my first trip. And it is not for want of trying. Unfortunately, Pakistanis are not being given Indian visas. And we may not get visas till the 2019 Indian elections. This is a result of the tumultuous relationship Pakistan shares with India. Due to the tense relations between the two nuclear-armed states, the people of both countries suffer. With the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor, I see a glimmer of hope.
In his victory speech after winning the 2018 elections, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan stressed on good relations with India: “If you [India] take one step forward, we will take two steps forward. I say this with conviction, this will be the most important thing for the subcontinent, for both countries to have friendship.” Khan was not paying lip service; he meant what he said. So did the prime ministers before him.
Political parties in Pakistan have been advocating for peace with India for decades now. It is our military establishment that usually acts as a spoiler but this time around, they too are on the same page as the civilians. Let’s be honest here. Navjot Singh Sidhu’s infamous hug with Pakistan’s army chief at Prime Minister Khan’s swearing-in ceremony led to the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor at such a quick pace. Even if our civilians wanted to open the Kartarpur Corridor, they could not have done so without the blessings of our establishment. At the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor, Khan talked about trade with India. A day later when he met a delegation of 22 Indian journalists, he again talked about normalcy with India. He also reiterated that his government and the army were on the same page. In an interview with The Washington Post, Khan said: “We also want something done about the bombers of Mumbai. I have asked our government to find out the status of the case. Resolving that case is in our interest because it was an act of terrorism.” Those who followed the Mumbai trial know that for the past decade, Pakistan’s Foreign Office has maintained that there is a need for more evidence from India. Khan has taken a distinctly different position from Pakistan’s official position on Mumbai trial. All this is quite significant. Khan has said it again and again that he will wait for the Indian elections as he knows India may not reciprocate during an election year.
{{/usCountry}}Political parties in Pakistan have been advocating for peace with India for decades now. It is our military establishment that usually acts as a spoiler but this time around, they too are on the same page as the civilians. Let’s be honest here. Navjot Singh Sidhu’s infamous hug with Pakistan’s army chief at Prime Minister Khan’s swearing-in ceremony led to the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor at such a quick pace. Even if our civilians wanted to open the Kartarpur Corridor, they could not have done so without the blessings of our establishment. At the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor, Khan talked about trade with India. A day later when he met a delegation of 22 Indian journalists, he again talked about normalcy with India. He also reiterated that his government and the army were on the same page. In an interview with The Washington Post, Khan said: “We also want something done about the bombers of Mumbai. I have asked our government to find out the status of the case. Resolving that case is in our interest because it was an act of terrorism.” Those who followed the Mumbai trial know that for the past decade, Pakistan’s Foreign Office has maintained that there is a need for more evidence from India. Khan has taken a distinctly different position from Pakistan’s official position on Mumbai trial. All this is quite significant. Khan has said it again and again that he will wait for the Indian elections as he knows India may not reciprocate during an election year.
{{/usCountry}}There are several reasons why the PTI government is keen on having good relations with India. One is of course that like his predecessors, Khan understands the importance of normalising relations with Pakistan’s neighbours. All political parties in Pakistan maintain that good relations with its neighbouring countries will lead to stability in the region, which is equally good for Pakistan itself. Second, Pakistan is facing one of its worst economic crises in recent times. Pakistan would reap the benefits of opening up trade with India and in the long run, it will also rule out the possibility of extremely tense ties between the two states. The PTI government has mentioned on a number of occasions how the possibility of a war between the two nuclear powers is nothing but sheer stupidity but that even proxy wars have cost both countries a lot and it is time to put a stop to that. Logically speaking, what the government is saying makes complete sense. Unfortunately, Indo-Pak ties are so complex that most times, rationality takes a backseat while emotions lead the discourse.
Khan has given a green light to India and so has our military establishment. The Kartarpur Corridor is a step forward in the right direction. Now it all depends on the Indian side and how they respond to Pakistani overtures. I hope that the Indian side and the Pakistani side don’t hold the people of the two countries hostage to their games in the future. We need a soft visa regime. Let the people meet in order to overcome the baggage of history. War is not an option; peace, on the other hand, is the most viable option for all of us.
Mehmal Sarfraz is a senior producer at a television channel and freelance journalist based in Pakistan
The views expressed are personal