Good fences should keep India and Pakistan safe, not divided

Even when working in an international setting through the greater part of my career, I happen to be the bearer of the green travel book that tends to restrict my entry into most territories. Often such entry is contingent on consulates vetting a list of travel details going back ten years before a limited entry, specific purpose stamp is placed onto my passport. I have been advised to convert citizenship  to any-spec-of-an-island (often bearing names which remain unpronounceable) but the diehard Pakistani in me resists this temptation vehemently even when the ten-year travel scrub takes me down the deepest darkest alleys of memory lane having to relive every heartbreak, each death and passing, unpleasant encounter and flight undertaken by me as the forever nervous traveller.

Despite my travelogue and fluent ‘Urdu’, there have been countless instances where I have been asked if I am an Indian or how is it that I speak such good ‘Hindi’. Realising that being safe is better than being sorry and depending on the audience before me, my response tends to vary from stating that I am a member of the subcontinent to stating that I am in fact an occupant of planet Earth. This generic rejoinder under the one-size-fits-all consumption mantra tends to work most times. In other instances however, people probe further and tend to reveal that most nationalities are clueless around the distinction between an Indian and a Pakistani. This frequent confusion does tilt towards considering how closely the two nations are aligned. Honestly speaking, Kamala Harris’ campaign rhetoric, “We have so much more in common than what separates us,” springs to reality for our two nations on either side of the border.

They say birds of a feather tend to flock together and that perhaps is a reason why outside of each of our respective countries, Indians and Pakistanis tend to forge friendships that transcend religious and political barriers. Generations of grannies have narrated tales stemming from the mass migration during Partition—especially of all those ‘millions’ left behind. Where the earth under each household stood terribly pregnant with what must have been Ali Baba’s treasures unable to be shifted across the invisible geographical divide. With no one to validate or to confirm, families could potentially pose as generational Sultans and Maharajas. Save for Partition and based on the narrative passed down, each of us would have been sitting on endless pots of gold thinking of ways to manage anti-money-laundering regimes under modern-day banking systems!

Each side of the Indo-Pak border remodelled independently and from scratch, fostering associations that gravitated towards commonalities such as language, culture, heritage and entertainment. Whether Lata Mangeshkar Sahiba or Madam Noor Jahan, whether Malala Yousafzai or Rabindranath Tagore Sahib, whether Shahrukh Khan or Hamayun Saeed, whether Faraz Manan or Sabyasachi, each of us continued to hold close what was revered, enjoyed or even missed.

Over the decades, border skirmishes have continued with each side pleading a more dire justification than the other for its acts.  Chesterton was spot-on when he said, “A true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him but because he loves what is behind him.” Every life lost is precious, each passing leaving indelible scars on households affected regardless of whether it is under a Sindoor or pursuant to a Banyan-um-Marsoos. A majority of the Indo-Pak origination based expatriate workforce vowed to embrace this understanding when undergoing the few days during the early part of May this year. People endeavoured to remind one other of a higher purpose – that of humanity and tolerance. Workspaces, social gathering and other events attended during such time remained respectful and even regretful of the events that unfolded. 

Granted that ideologies relating to brotherhood and camaraderie might fade when making their way over to the Majlis-e-Shoora or the Lok Sabha—the spirit of humanity however, reigns supreme when embracing our differences and tolerating diverging views. Good fences make good neighbours. Here’s hoping our fences remain strong, united and loved.