Daily Times

The plea for Kartarpur Corridor from New Delhi has been in limbo since 70 years. Kartarpur Corridor is nestled around Narowal, Punjab. Its groundbreaking ceremony was seen all over the world on November 28. Prime Minister Imran Khan along with COAS Gen Bajwa patronized the ceremony. Pakistan FM Shah Mehmood Qureshi invited Indian FM Sushma Swaraj, Indian Punjab CM Captain Amrinder Singh and Indian Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu to witness the historic ceremony. However, the BJP government declined to attend the ceremony instead and sent junior Ministers Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep S. Puri. Moreover, Indian journalists were also invited.

In mid August, Imran Khan invited Sidhu to his oath taking ceremony as Prime Minister. Sidhu is an old friend of Khan from his cricket career. It was reported that the famous clutch to Sidhu from COAS Gen Bajwa was about the opening of Kartarpur Corridor for Sikh pilgrims which later raged dissent in India.

Despite dissent, Pakistan stood firm and went ahead with the ground breaking ceremony. This opening gave a message of warmth and peace. Next year, the Sikh pilgrims will pay a visit to Baba Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary.

Following the ground breaking ceremony of Kartarpur, whispers to resume a dialogue between Indo-Pak were heard. For over 7 decades, the subcontinent has been struggling to attain peace. The hostility between Indo-Pak has trickled down to a level where the civil society of both the countries has even turned against one and another. Unfortunately, the divide lacks the leadership to take it out of the box.

Polarisation is a global issue. However, in India the Hindutva phenomena is mainstream and it’s well known that Indian election uses anti-Pakistan and anti-Muslim rhetoric. India has a lesson to learn from Pakistan that darlings of 1980s (Jihadis) later turned into monsters who challenged the writ of the state. Finally, Pakistan had to launch military operations against them. Unfortunately, India is nurturing the Hindutva narrative despite calling themselves secular. The extremism in India has already stretched to an extent where bunch of Hindutva threaten the state to fall in line especially in case of Pakistan.

Unfortunately, India is nurturing the Hindutva narrative despite calling themselves secular. The extremism in India has already stretched to an extent where a bunch of Hindutva threaten the state to fall in line especially in case of Pakistan

PM Khan while addressing the ground breaking ceremony rightly pointed out that if France-Germany can end their tussle then, why can’t Indo-Pak? The question is essential. If we look at Pakistan’s side, the civil-military establishment disconnect is one of the reasons why Indo-Pak cannot tread on the same ground as France-Germany. The ex post facto regime of PPP and PMLN also wanted to open the corridor for the Sikh community but with the civil-military imbalance it could not be practically implemented. Khan said while addressing Indian Journalists post Kartarpur Corridor opening that the past is for learning. It’s the most pertinent message PM Imran Khan has specified across the divide that instead of living in past and keeping grudges for one and another, move on with a positive gesture. Pakistan has taken a step towards peace with India, now it’s their turn.

While going through a recent World Bank report, Pakistan and India share 88 percent of South Asia GDP. According to the report, the trade valued between the two countries is more or less about $2 billion and can shoot up to $37 billion. The report itself is thought provoking for both the countries to revise their 7 decades of policy. The war and proxies have only left us behind in the Capitalist economic world.

Apart from the good gesture, if the civil-military establishment across the divide wants prosperity, peace is the only way forward. Kartarpur Corridor may just be a beginning to an ice breaker between the two, only if the will is contemporary. The ultimate solution lies in peace, people to people connectivity and visa policy ease. Open borders and the creation of an EU style model in South Asia is a dream which every progressive ponders over.

The writer is an academic. He tweets @muhd_hani

Published in Daily Times, December 21^st 2018.