Daily Times

A visit to Lahore for us who have settled in another part of the world, out of free will or under duress, is a pilgrimage. Each time I step on its soil it feels that I never left, though to my very great surprise my Lahore exists west of the Lahore canal while the younger generation that has grown up on the other side has little or no knowledge of it. This I discovered on a number of recent visits. Young men instructed by their fathers to drop uncle on Temple Road or Gawalmandi did not know how to get there. So, there are different Lahores that we identify with: pre-partition Lahore, the Lahore of the 1950s that extends into the 1970s and the new Lahore of the 1980s onwards. Moreover, Lahore extends into cyberspace and every now and then someone connects with me on that basis.

The charm and mystique of Lahore was the basis of a two-day very intensive and rewarding conference arranged by the Trust for History, Art and Architecture of Pakistan (THAAP). Professors Sajida and Pervaiz Vandal were able to collect a number of devotees of Lahore: architects, painters, poets, historians. They enlightened us by shedding light on the pluralist heritage of Lahore — with Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and British colonial architectural influences manifest in the buildings, shrines, tombs, bazaars, mohallas, gardens, railways, farmers, factories and much more, adding to its beauty and distinctive personality. An Iranian researcher showed the similarities between Lahore and Tehran. Balvinder Singh moved the audience with his innocent Punjabiyat as well as the twin relationship between Lahore and Amritsar. Some interesting insights into the ancient roots of human and other sculptures as well as public sculptures were also provided. A couple of papers were on Bollywood and Lahore cinemas and some beautiful paintings on Lahore were also presented in a slide show.

Some of us concerned about social, environmental and political issues reminded the audience of another Lahore: one in which street children lead a neglected and deprived existence; the water level is sinking dramatically and the river and canal waters have become dangerously polluted by human waste and toxic material. My paper, ‘Lahore is always in our heart’, provided an account of several generations of Lahorites: pre-partition Hindus and Sikhs, incoming Muslim refugees from Simla, persecuted Ahmedis and politically alienated leftists. Dr Priyaleen Singh from Delhi presented her father Professor Randhir Singh’s love for Lahore. A young Communist activist of the 1940s, he left Lahore to escape the partition violence, promising to come back one day. Alas, only his daughter could do that. She read out her father’s poem. I could see many teary eyes.

The conference culminated with Ajoka Theatre’s very powerful play, ‘Mera Rang De Basanti Chola’, at the Alhamra. It portrayed the last few days of Bhagat Singh and his co-accused, Rajguru and Sukhdev, in Lahore jail (now Shadman colony), before their hanging on March 23, 1931 for involvement in alleged anti-state activities, including acts of terrorism. My old friend, Shahid Mahmood Nadeem, had written a great script. Madeeha Gauhar’s introduction to it was very touching, indeed. I salute both of them for letting Bhagat Singh explain why he was an atheist. Bhagat Singh described his atheism as a higher morality based on humanism without any concern for caste, creed, colour or gender. I was completely overwhelmed.

THAAP exhibitions and music evenings continued on the following days. The magic Lahore week, November 10-17, continued to fascinate and spellbind me beyond the THAAP initiatives. On November 16, my friends Liaqat Ali Advocate and journalist and publisher, Shoaib Adil, organised a discussion on behalf of the Pakistan-India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD). I was invited to speak on ‘Pak-India Relations: Challenges and Opportunities’. While that will be the theme of a forthcoming weekly op-ed, what profoundly impressed me was a very visible and tangible change in the popular mood.

Before delivering my talk, I consulted Iqbal Saleh Mohammad, an old friend from college days. His Paramount Books is now one of Pakistan’s leading publishers of academic and textbooks. I wanted him to tell me what he thought should be the relationship between Pakistan and India. “Remove the word ‘war’ from Pakistani and Indian dictionaries,” he said.

In the discussion that followed after my talk, I could sense that 64 years of destructive politics based on hatred between Pakistan and India was no longer tenable. I learnt that not only the ruling PPP government but also the main opposition leader Mian Nawaz Sharif and the up and coming Imran Khan have been taking positions that favoured better relations between the two countries and greater contacts between Pakistanis and Indians. I remember in December 2004 Imran Khan saying on Pakistan Television (PTV) that a medicine needed for the treatment of cancer costs Rs 161 if bought from the west but only Rs 52 if it was purchased from India.

This is the first time that all the three main political parties and leaders are taking reasonable positions. The lunatic fringe that clings on to anti-India hatred is for the first time increasingly isolated. Of course the military can still derail the reconciliation process underway, but I was pleased to learn from Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar that the military were on board with regard to Pakistan granting India the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status. I hope this happens and happens soon. India has already granted such a privilege to Pakistan, so what is the problem?

If Pakistan and India seriously and sincerely pursue the path of peace and reconciliation, all disputes and grievances between them can be resolved in an amicable manner. The 21st century will still be borders and state boundaries, but at least within major geographical regions the movement of goods, capital and people will be accelerated. In order for South Asia to benefit fully from such opportunities, we will have to close ranks to root out extremism, terrorism and war. The sooner we begin the better for all of us. And indeed, which other place than Lahore can better serve as the venue for a genuine Pakistan-India rapprochement? Both the Indian National Congress and the All-India Muslim League gave calls for independence from this city: the former on December 19 and the latter on March 23, 1940. Logically and morally Lahore alone can serve as the venue for consummating friendship between the two states these parties founded.

The writer is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Stockholm University. He is also Honorary Senior Fellow of the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore. He can be reached at billumian@gmail.com