Daily Times

Recently I was in Lahore for a conference organised by The History Art and Architecture of Punjab (THAAP), a society run by Professor Pervaiz Vandal and Professor Sajida Vandal. I was very enthusiastic about the invitation because this was my first visit to a foreign country and that also to Pakistan, which is my area of specialisation. Another reason for my enthusiasm was that I wanted to meet common Pakistanis and know their perception about India. During my week-long stay, I interacted with many people from different class backgrounds. This class background is important because perceptions and opinions vary from one class to another. In Pakistan, across the conference hall, almost all were in favour of having a peaceful relationship with India. Grievances were also there: for some, India is responsible for annual floods and droughts in Pakistan and a few of them held the opinion that the Indian state does not want peace and is instead engaged in a ploy to destroy Pakistan. Overall, the common man was very critical about the socio-political behaviour of Pakistani elites and has a fascinating imagination where India is concerned.

After this interaction with Pakistanis, I found that they are more enthusiastic about having peaceful relations with India rather than the opposite. Yes, there is a section that is against any sort of relationship with India but this section is being highly criticised by the people on the streets. The reason that Pakistanis are more receptive towards establishing a friendly relationship with India is that they are more dependent on India rather than the other way around. From morning till evening, India is part of their life in many forms, especially Bollywood songs and movies, which make up a large part of their mode of entertainment. This phenomenon is widely present among young Pakistanis. The older people have memories about 1947, when humanity was ashamed by the savage acts committed by human beings on both sides of the divide. Many of them are very emotional about their paternal places in India. On the contrary, the Indian middle class is not very enthusiastic about relations with Pakistan. It swings its opinion according to the situation. They always look towards the US and other developed countries. Sometimes, they chant that India must have peace with Pakistan but the same bunch of people start demanding a nuclear attack after any untoward incident is carried out by a terror group in any Indian city. The image of Pakistan is such that there is now a popular saying in India: once someone gets the stamp of Pakistan, he or she will never be accepted by the US and other western countries. This may be taken lightly but it reflects the popular imagination where Pakistan is concerned.

The question arises: how can things be improved between the two countries? Many steps are being taken by various groups but still the situation has far from improved. The perception about the other is yet to substantially change. I feel that the reason behind this is the people who are engaged in track 1.5 or track 2.0 diplomacy and other forms of people-to-people contact. Some are seriously working for peace but most are not. In 2005, I joined Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) as an M Phil student. During my first conference, which I attended as an audience member, there was a gentleman presenting a paper on Pakistan. He started his paper with the statement, ‘I love to hate Pakistan’. At present, he is head of a prominent think tank in India and, sadly, part of the track 1.5 and 2.0 diplomacy. He is also a member of some India-Pakistan friendship forum. Then, in 2013, I attended a conference where a Pakistani scholar presented his paper on the Kashmir issue. He narrated the reaction of students when he invited them for a discussion on the Kashmir issue. He said that not a single student responded because they wanted that the government of Pakistan should tackle other issues instead of focusing on Kashmir. The moral of his narrative was that the people in Pakistan are not much interested in the Kashmir issue. The story was fabricated to sell among the Indian audience because, even in his or her dreams, one cannot accept the fact that not a single individual from India and Pakistan has some sort of opinion on the Kashmir issue. I do not say that people like them should not be engaged but I feel that a line must be drawn to keep them at a distance. Once they are part of popular forums it becomes very difficult for people like me to be a part of these groups. They are part of the peace process for their personal and professional benefits without any impelling urge to work for peace.

Apart from them there are other people who are making efforts to establish peace between the two countries and change the decrepit perceptions about the other. Yet a lot has to be done. The right wing groups and their propaganda have to be strongly contested and this is only possible by having genuine preachers and supporters of peace between the two countries.

The writer is an assistant professor (guest) at the Delhi University, New Delhi. He can be reached at amitranjan.jnu@gmail.com