By Tridivesh Singh Maini 

Fridaytimes Feb 19,  2016

Religious tourism can help revive contacts between the people of India and Pakistan

Indian Sikh pilgrims on their way to Pakistan

Ties between India and Pakistan face a number of challenges. Although Islamabad and New Delhi have realized the need to strengthen people-to-people contacts and enhance mutual trade, there is a lot that still needs to be done.

A key sector in people-to-people contacts is religious tourism. Among the important measures taken in this direction are a bus service that connects the Sikh holy cities of Amritsar and Nankana Sahib, and the restoration of the Katasraj Mandir, a historical Hindu holy site. The Katasraj project was inaugurated by BJP veteran LK Advani. When former Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari visited India in 2012 for a pilgrimage to Ajmer Sharif, he spoke about making it easier for Hindus and Sikhs to visit their holy sites in Pakistan. And the statement that followed the meeting between the prime ministers of the two countries at the sidelines of the Ufa summit in July 2015 also mentioned religious tourism as one possible area of cooperation.

The World Bank has prepared a feasibility report for religious tourism in Pakistani Punjab, in which it estimates that with an improvement in facilities and an upgrade of infrastructure, the Pakistani economy can gain up to $1.85 billion. But visa procedures need to be eased out and connectivity needs to be improved, the report says. India too could benefit from Pakistanis visiting prominent Sufi shrines, especially the shrine of Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer Sharif.

One important project that has been lobbied for by the civil society and political leaders in the Indian Punjab, and is also being raised by the Sikh diaspora abroad, is the Kartarpur corridor. The proposed project would connect Dera Baba Nanak with Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan, where Guru Nanak – the founder of Sikh religion – spent the last few years of his life.

Kartarpur and Dera Baba Nanak are only a few kilometers apart

A bridge connecting both the shrines was among many that were destroyed in the 1965 war. For the last decade and a half, political leaders from the Indian Punjab, such as Kuldip Singh Wadala, have been lobbying for connecting the two sites – hardly a few kilometers apart – and a visa-free pilgrimage to Kartarpur. A number of foreign organizations, such as the Institute of Multi-Track Diplomacy, have pitched the same ideas. The World United Guru Nanak Foundation has been especially pro-active in reaching out to the two governments.

Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan’s minister for planning and an MNA from Narowal, has also spoken in favor of the project. When he met members of the Sikh community during a recent trip to Washington, he assured them of full support from the Pakistani government. Apart from other reasons, there is a strong economic rationale for the project. Sikhs from India, US, UK and Canada will visit the town and help boost local economy.

There may be anxiety about such visa-free travel in India, because of the recent terrorist attacks in Gurdaspur and Pathankot and fears of the revival of militancy in Punjab. But there are ways around it, such as heightening security on both sides, or one-day visas on arrival in Pakistan.

Islamabad and New Delhi need to realize the importance of their common heritage, which will help them improve mutual ties, enhance their connection with their diaspora, and in turn provide economic benefits to common people.

The lost connection between Kartarpur and Dera Baba Nanak is just one instance of how ties between people have been disrupted. With so many stakeholders on board, it is possible to find innovative ways to rebuild broken bridges.

Tridivesh Singh Maini is a Senior Research Associate with Jindal School of International Affairs, at the

OP Jindal Global University in Sonepat