Line Of Control 🇮🇳🇵🇰

Line Of Control

Ritam Saha, July 22, 2018

Kolkata, India

“Geopolitics and peace cannot go together”, commented nanaji, as he stared at the morning’s Times of India lying on the sofa. The front page had a large graphic and bold headlines which announced “Two Pak Rangers killed in gunfire near LoC”. As someone who's personally followed the papers each morning, this was probably the tenth or eleventh article on Pakistan I came across this month.

In 1947, the British left the Indian subcontinent, dividing it as they went. What happened to be a united Punjab in the heart of the empirical colony was now divided into half with a pen across a map. For a first, India would be broken in two parts, one Hindu, one Muslim. On the western side, the state of West Pakistan was born. Curled up under the arm of the larger landmass of the newly formed India, the second, significantly smaller province of East Pakistan came into being. Seven million people crossed the newly drawn borders to choose new countries for themselves to be with others of the same faith. Nanaji was one of the migrants. He left his sprawling property in Dacca and emigrated to Calcutta, which was recovering slowly from the Great Bengal Famine of 1943. Governments on both sides, who were trying to settle down to administer the newly acquired territories and had enough to worry about were now faced with a new dilemma - refugees. Finding accommodation was difficult but somehow nanaji managed to get a house and join the civil service. For several other Indians and Pakistanis though, the story would be very different.

Fast forward to seventy years later and the hostilities of partition still exist. Four wars and countless negotiations, yet the two countries are still stuck where they first began. Today, the people crossing the borders are those who visit separated families on both sides or trespass by mistake and end up languishing in prisons for large periods of time, and often, for the rest of their lives. For both Indians and Pakistanis alike, it is common practice to display hate for each other. It is visible everywhere - from political speeches to cricket matches. It's even crept into Bollywood, with movies that portray victory over so - called Pakistani enemies amassing large amounts at the Indian box office. Take the example of 2018 blockbuster ‘Raazi’ which was banned in Pakistan for obvious reasons. The film, which spoke the story of a female spy who was married into a Pakistani military family and passed vital information back to India, earned its place at the box office as one of the highest grossing films. However, one cannot be entirely critical of Bollywood. In 2015, Salman Khan starrer ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ told a very different story. This, unlike many other films before it, was a story of love. Bajrangi Bhaijaan unfortunately never aired in Pakistan, but it did set a new path for other directors to follow. Although ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ was successful, Bollywood has not yet been blessed with a similar film.

India and Pakistan’s trade relations happen to be hostile too. In spite of the best efforts of both governments, Indian and Pakistani trade is highly informal and amounts to only $5 billion. On 30th March 2018, Ajay Bisaria, the Indian envoy to Pakistan called for better trade relations. According to his estimates, trade between the countries could hit $30 billion if necessary efforts were taken. High Commissioner Bisaria, like many others before him may point out the odds, but those responsible find no regularity to sustain trade. With the countries always caught up in a scuffle, trade is impractical and uncertain.

When one moves north, it is impossible to overlook the Kashmir issue, which, apart from the accusations levelled out against alleged terrorism, is the next most important issue that stalls peace on the Radcliffe Line. The picturesque mountainous state has seen countless human rights violations and gunfire over seventy years. Even today, Kashmiris remain highly divided among themselves on the issue of their nationalities. Let us say they never get a choice. There is no denying the fact that the continuing violence in the region has stalled development. Today, Kashmir forms a major part of political speeches and the issue is exploited freely by politicians of both sides to gain political credits. In the current scenario, the ceasefire has been officially broken a staggering 1252 times in 2017. Each time, the government narrative on both sides is always that of a middle school child after a fight - “He did it first”. In any case, a ceasefire broken over a thousand times is no ceasefire at all. Yet in the Indian parliament, the national President of the present ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Amit Shah, has been known to pride his political organisation's wonderful handling of the Kashmir issue, with the statement “Kashmir has never been so safe in 35 years.”

“India and Pakistan” has never been an issue of the past. Today, it is typical of media from both sides to compare national achievements. Take the example of a recent article from Pakistan's Tribune on India's 4G internet speeds being slower than Pakistan’s. Likewise on the other side of the border, an Indian daily reports “US concerns over LeT affiliates participating in Pakistani politics.” Although casual journalism is harmless, it is the specific inclusion of comparisons that spread hatred and bigotry. Nowadays, news outlets publish their bulletins on social media, where they attract more readers. Often, when comparative articles are published, they result in keyboard wars among patriots in the comment section, which then turn vulgar in no time.

As Pakistan gears up for its elections, India is high on the political agenda. On 3rd July, Hafiz Saeed, who remains a major subject of bilateral tension, called Pakistani politicians “puppets of India and the United States.” Contrarily, the PML-N, who recently suffered a major setback with the arrest of Nawaz Sharif and his daughter, are supportive of peace talks. Prime Ministerial candidate for the PML-N, Shehbaz Sharif tweeted on June 12, “It's time for comprehensive peace talks in our region. International community must focus on the peace process in Afghanistan. Dialogue b/w Pakistan & India over Kashmir should also resume, so that the long-festering Kashmir dispute is resolved in accordance with UN resolutions.” He called upon the arch rivals to leave the past behind and start afresh. As of now, the two countries are working on minor, but significant humanitarian steps, such as the release of fishermen who crossed into foreign waters by mistake.

Even if ties do finally normalize, it will take years before people of both nationalities begin to trust each other. Once divided by religion, the two countries now require a lot of mutual political will to arrive at a settlement regarding their differences, no matter what they are. As of now, India and Pakistan will continue to train their guns at each other's borders and their soldiers shall perform war dances each evening in a show of defiance and strength at Wagah. That is now tradition.