By Syed Wahiduddin

Syed Wahiduddin

Smooth relations between Pakistan and India are vital for regional and global stability. And what better way to improve the relations than for media giants in both countries – Jang Group and Times of India – to work for peace through a collaborated effort. It is commendable that Aman ki Asha is bringing the people of the two nations together through seminars and people-to-people contact.

Personally, I am extremely thankful to them for taking these much-needed steps in the right direction. Aman ki Asha has organised several important events with good outcomes. Peace-loving people across the border hope that the untiring efforts of the Aman ki Asha team will bear fruit and that relations will improve between the neighbouring countries.

There are still many people on both sides of the border who want peace and harmony between the two countries rather than tension and hatred. When the two nations essentially share traditions, customs and families, there is no other way but to try and improve relations. We can achieve this once we set our minds to it.

People like myself, who have had the opportunity to live in both countries, would love to see the two countries grow closer so that we could savour our memories by visiting our home towns, now situated on the other side of the border.

Before the two countries emerged from one, I was a student in Hyderabad Deccan and graduated from Osmania University. I vividly remember my school days that I spent with my best friends. They belonged to a variety of cultural and religious backgrounds but it never crossed our minds that we were from different communities. My friends Vishvunath, Lalit Prasad, Shankar Gupta, Ranga Reddy, Owais Saeed, P Mann Basi, Fareed ullah, Salauddin Owais, and I would ‘hang out’ for hours after school. After I left India, we kept up with each other and would meet whenever I visited my home-town. My visits to Hyderabad Deccan were limited to fifteen days, and my friends would insist that I extend my visit.

Even after living years apart, our feelings for each other were as strong as when we were young. Whenever I visited them, I would be greeted in the same way. I never categorised my friends as Hindu or Muslim; our relationship was based on affection. In fact I found that over the years the bond between us was stronger. And when the time came for me to leave them, I would do so with a heavy heart and for weeks I would be nostalgic about the time we spent together.

During my visits to India, my friend Vishvunath would often say that I should move back to India so that we didn’t have to feel sad when I left them, and we would all cry. Amazing how childhood friends remain among your most precious memories that last you the rest of your life. Sometimes at night when I think about my past, I often feel a tug at my heart when I realise that we cannot be together all the time like we used to.

Such cross-border friendships can still be nurtured as is obvious when we see Pakistanis and Indians living abroad. It seems only natural that they find friends among themselves, mainly because they have so much in common. I saw this in my own family settled in Canada. My grandson has several friends from India. When I visited him on Eid in 2010, I was pleasantly surprised that he had invited many of his non-Pakistani and non-Muslim friends to celebrate this occasion with us.

Which brings us to the pertinent question: If we can live in harmony together abroad, why is it so difficult to do so in the subcontinent? I am sure that Aman ki Asha’s peace efforts will not go to waste and things will improve between the two countries. How long can our two countries continue to co-exist in a tense environment? It is about time we had more people-to-people contact. This will eventually put pressure on our two governments to discuss their problems on the negotiating table instead of using muscle. It is time that both countries joined forces to bring peace and prosperity in the region to improve the lot of their people. There is so much that can be achieved once they join forces: like eradicating unemployment, hunger and poverty in the region.

More can be invested in the people by exchange of technology, trade, education, labour. Here’s hoping that Aman ki Asha manages to rekindle the emotions of love and respect among the people of India and Pakistan so that not only older people who have a past, but the younger generation can visit and meet their neighbours freely and work towards peace and stability in the region.

The writer is a retired KESC officer living in Karachi. Letter to Aman ki Asha in Urdu, translated
By Lubna J. Naqvi