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Thank you for letting me travel to Pakistan!
Pakistan had always been a reality to me, unlike for some people who couldnt believe that there was another nation carved out of the Indian subcontinent. DESIGN: ERUM SHAIKH
Pakistan had always been a reality to me, unlike for some people who couldnt believe that there was another nation carved out of the Indian subcontinent. But for me, it was just another nation that existed before I was born.
In 2007, I chanced upon a scholarship to finish a part of my semester in Kinnaird College, Lahore. Lahore fascinated me ever since. It was in Lahore that Sahir Ludhianvi (my favourite lyricist) spent his romantic years; where Jaun Eliya (my favourite poet) struggled through his life, and Saadat Hasan Manto (my favourite writer) passed away.
While my only fear was what the city would offer to a vegetarian, as I packed my bags to leave, my family and friends were very concerned for my physical safety.
Just days before I was to enter the alluring city, due to a spat between the heads of states of India and Pakistan, all visas (except diplomatic visas) were cancelled. That was the closest I had come to experiencing Pakistan.
Three years later, another scholarship took me to the US, to complete my studies. I had never thought that a scholarship that was funded by the governments of the US and India, would bring me closer to Pakistan.
On the University of Colorado Boulders beautiful, lush lawns, 25 students from across the world, who had been granted the same scholarship, gathered and spoke in hushed tones about the upcoming introductory seminars. From the corner of my eye, I caught one gentleman giving me a long, thoughtful look. From the colour of his skin, I could tell that he was from my part of the world, but his shy, almost withdrawn nature made me nervous about approaching him.
Finally, he came over and said,
I have wanted to say hi to you for a long time. You are from India, right?
I answered edgily,
Yes, I am Raksha.
I extended my hand. Under his beard was a smile and look of unmistakable intelligence.
I am Bilal. I am from Pakistan.
Soon, we realised that not only were we about to attend the same grad school, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, but that we would also be living in the same building!
That introduction was the beginning of a beautiful friendship and also the reason I forged many other precious friendships during my stay in the US. Bilal introduced me to Sana, a bubbly Pakistani woman whose laughter resonates long after she has left the room.
As time passed and we settled into our routines (which involved going to school, working late and spending weekends catching up on sleep), we realised that our calendars allowed for spending time together.
On most days, the three of us dined together. We visited Times Square and the Statue of Liberty, and ate tonnes and tonnes of South Asian food while chatting mostly in Hindi.
It is interesting how certain situations and places can highlight different aspects of ones identity. In New York, Sana, Bilal and I were no longer from the two warring nations. We were students of Columbia University, who shared food, culture and language as opposed to several others from different parts of the world.
When Sana called us each evening, Bilal and I immediately knew the agenda: we would order a large pizza with jalapeno peppers and pineapple, and sit on Sanas bed listening to stories about her childhood. We watched American and Pakistani sitcoms, and laughed well into the night.
Today, months after graduation, there is a bond between us that goes beyond all barriers, in spite of the fact that we are separated by what some call the impermeable borders between India and Pakistan.
As I now plan a visit to Pakistan to meet Bilals new bride and gang up with Sana for a hiking trip on the Margalla Hills, I hope someday the history will remain deeply buried and never return to haunt us.
Thank you for letting me travel to India!
I am a Pakistani. My best friend is an Indian. We have spent many nights last year during our time at college in New York making reunion plans.
However, every time the conversation would come to an uncomfortable halt when it boiled down to the issue of obtaining visa entry to each other’s homeland.
Each time, the conversation ended the same way. We would conclude with promises of meeting on neutral territory such as Dubai or Sri Lanka. On particularly dark days, when the media stirred up a fresh concoction of past tensions, we would make peace with sustaining the friendship over Skype, as no end appeared in sight to these hostile relations.
Therefore, no one could have been happier than we were at the ease of visa restrictions that were agreed to in a meeting between the foreign secretaries of both countries on Saturday in Islamabad. The maturity shown by both countries to move towards a relationship of understanding, if not trust or love yet, is commendable. In my opinion, a huge part of the credit for this positive development should be attributed to our Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar.
Let’s face it; being the foreign minister for a country like Pakistan, a country at the center of global policy, is no easy task. Being the youngest and the first female foreign minister of the country does not make things any easier either. It is no secret that the past year for Pakistan has been particularly rocky in terms of foreign relations. From drone attacks to oil pipeline agreements to the Salala issue, we have seen it all. Our foreign minister has been at the forefront for all of it; defending, explaining, rationalising, criticising and initiating some of the toughest decisions in the world, often involving some of the most powerful and most volatile global players.
Al Jazeera aired an exclusive interview with Khar a few months ago, where she handled some really gruelling questions with admirable maturity and grace.
She strongly emphasised upon Pakistan’s need to improve relationships with all its neighbours, from China to Afghanistan to India. Her mantra of regional stability as the basis for peace, trade and development was a refreshing change in a discourse that is primarily dominated by Islamabad’s relationship with Washington. I still remember the interview, not only because of Ms Khar’s diplomatic efficacy, but also because of the soundness of her political statements.
Predictably, the interviewer asked her about the doubts many had when such an important office was handed to someone of her age and limited experience. Ms Khar confidently replied;
Too much emphasis is laid sometimes on one’s age to determine their experience and too less on their experience to determine their ability. I will let history be the judge of what I have achieved in my term.
I may not have been completely convinced then. I am still far from convinced that every decision coming out of Pakistan’s foreign office is the right one. However, I do realise the immense challenges of the office Ms Khar holds and admire the direction in which she is trying to steer things.
So today, as I share the news with my Indian best friend, we will not only be celebrating my planned visit to Mumbai later in the year, but we will also be celebrating the triumph of a generation.
This generation includes people like Ms Khar and myself ─ a generation that believes in the power of moving forward rather than being held hostage by history.
Pakistan had always been a reality to me, unlike for some people who couldnt believe that there was another nation carved out of the Indian subcontinent. But for me, it was just another nation that existed before I was born.
In 2007, I chanced upon a scholarship to finish a part of my semester in Kinnaird College, Lahore. Lahore fascinated me ever since. It was in Lahore that Sahir Ludhianvi (my favourite lyricist) spent his romantic years; where Jaun Eliya (my favourite poet) struggled through his life, and Saadat Hasan Manto (my favourite writer) passed away.
While my only fear was what the city would offer to a vegetarian, as I packed my bags to leave, my family and friends were very concerned for my physical safety.
Just days before I was to enter the alluring city, due to a spat between the heads of states of India and Pakistan, all visas (except diplomatic visas) were cancelled. That was the closest I had come to experiencing Pakistan.
Three years later, another scholarship took me to the US, to complete my studies. I had never thought that a scholarship that was funded by the governments of the US and India, would bring me closer to Pakistan.
On the University of Colorado Boulders beautiful, lush lawns, 25 students from across the world, who had been granted the same scholarship, gathered and spoke in hushed tones about the upcoming introductory seminars. From the corner of my eye, I caught one gentleman giving me a long, thoughtful look. From the colour of his skin, I could tell that he was from my part of the world, but his shy, almost withdrawn nature made me nervous about approaching him.
Finally, he came over and said,
I have wanted to say hi to you for a long time. You are from India, right?
I answered edgily,
Yes, I am Raksha.
I extended my hand. Under his beard was a smile and look of unmistakable intelligence.
I am Bilal. I am from Pakistan.
Soon, we realised that not only were we about to attend the same grad school, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, but that we would also be living in the same building!
That introduction was the beginning of a beautiful friendship and also the reason I forged many other precious friendships during my stay in the US. Bilal introduced me to Sana, a bubbly Pakistani woman whose laughter resonates long after she has left the room.
As time passed and we settled into our routines (which involved going to school, working late and spending weekends catching up on sleep), we realised that our calendars allowed for spending time together.
On most days, the three of us dined together. We visited Times Square and the Statue of Liberty, and ate tonnes and tonnes of South Asian food while chatting mostly in Hindi.
It is interesting how certain situations and places can highlight different aspects of ones identity. In New York, Sana, Bilal and I were no longer from the two warring nations. We were students of Columbia University, who shared food, culture and language as opposed to several others from different parts of the world.
When Sana called us each evening, Bilal and I immediately knew the agenda: we would order a large pizza with jalapeno peppers and pineapple, and sit on Sanas bed listening to stories about her childhood. We watched American and Pakistani sitcoms, and laughed well into the night.
Today, months after graduation, there is a bond between us that goes beyond all barriers, in spite of the fact that we are separated by what some call the impermeable borders between India and Pakistan.
As I now plan a visit to Pakistan to meet Bilals new bride and gang up with Sana for a hiking trip on the Margalla Hills, I hope someday the history will remain deeply buried and never return to haunt us.
Thank you for letting me travel to India!
I am a Pakistani. My best friend is an Indian. We have spent many nights last year during our time at college in New York making reunion plans.
However, every time the conversation would come to an uncomfortable halt when it boiled down to the issue of obtaining visa entry to each other’s homeland.
Each time, the conversation ended the same way. We would conclude with promises of meeting on neutral territory such as Dubai or Sri Lanka. On particularly dark days, when the media stirred up a fresh concoction of past tensions, we would make peace with sustaining the friendship over Skype, as no end appeared in sight to these hostile relations.
Therefore, no one could have been happier than we were at the ease of visa restrictions that were agreed to in a meeting between the foreign secretaries of both countries on Saturday in Islamabad. The maturity shown by both countries to move towards a relationship of understanding, if not trust or love yet, is commendable. In my opinion, a huge part of the credit for this positive development should be attributed to our Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar.
Let’s face it; being the foreign minister for a country like Pakistan, a country at the center of global policy, is no easy task. Being the youngest and the first female foreign minister of the country does not make things any easier either. It is no secret that the past year for Pakistan has been particularly rocky in terms of foreign relations. From drone attacks to oil pipeline agreements to the Salala issue, we have seen it all. Our foreign minister has been at the forefront for all of it; defending, explaining, rationalising, criticising and initiating some of the toughest decisions in the world, often involving some of the most powerful and most volatile global players.
Al Jazeera aired an exclusive interview with Khar a few months ago, where she handled some really gruelling questions with admirable maturity and grace.
She strongly emphasised upon Pakistan’s need to improve relationships with all its neighbours, from China to Afghanistan to India. Her mantra of regional stability as the basis for peace, trade and development was a refreshing change in a discourse that is primarily dominated by Islamabad’s relationship with Washington. I still remember the interview, not only because of Ms Khar’s diplomatic efficacy, but also because of the soundness of her political statements.
Predictably, the interviewer asked her about the doubts many had when such an important office was handed to someone of her age and limited experience. Ms Khar confidently replied;
Too much emphasis is laid sometimes on one’s age to determine their experience and too less on their experience to determine their ability. I will let history be the judge of what I have achieved in my term.
I may not have been completely convinced then. I am still far from convinced that every decision coming out of Pakistan’s foreign office is the right one. However, I do realise the immense challenges of the office Ms Khar holds and admire the direction in which she is trying to steer things.
So today, as I share the news with my Indian best friend, we will not only be celebrating my planned visit to Mumbai later in the year, but we will also be celebrating the triumph of a generation.
This generation includes people like Ms Khar and myself ─ a generation that believes in the power of moving forward rather than being held hostage by history.
Muje Badnam Na kar lol
Let me thank my parents as well to allow me to travel. Lets thank every one here!
.
