By Syed Qamar Abbas

Date:July 13, 14, 2004

The News, July 13, 14, 15, 2004

RAWALPINDI: The people of India want free interaction with the people of Pakistan. Gestures of friendship emanate from all whether they are Hindus or Sikhs, civilians or low-level officials. Many of them long for visiting Pakistan without facing any visa curbs and want the same for Pakistanis who intend to tour India. The enemy perception, which had marred relations between the two South Asian neighbours for over 50 years, does not exist at the people’s level. The stage is set for the phrase ‘Hindustanis, Pakistanis Bhai, Bhai’ to emerge as a popular slogan.

These impressions were drawn during a seven-day (May 27-June 3) visit to four Indian cities namely Amritsar, Jalandhar, Chandigarh and New Delhi.

A delegation of about 150 Pakistanis crossed Wahga on May 27 to participate in the three-day 10th world Punjabi conference organised by the Indian chapter of the World Punjabi Congress in Chandigarh from May 28 to 30.

The delegation was led by World Punjabi Congress Chairman Fakhar Zaman and comprised writers, poets, professors, film stars, bureaucrats and journalists.

Besides the organisers, Jalandhar SP Dr Sworn Singh, Amritsar DC Sardar Ravindar Singh and Dr Mahal Singh received the Pakistani delegation at Atari, Indian side of the border. The guests were garlanded, showered with welcome phrases and served with cold drinks. The Indian immigration and customs staff showed friendly attitude and cleared the delegation members without causing any delay.

The carvan started journey towards Chandigarh in four tourism buses escorted by the East Punjab police. According to the organisers of the Punjabi conference, the East Punjab government has asked them to arrange a memorable reception of Pakistani guests and make the event (conference) a big success.

The carvan stopped at Amritsar where a luncheon reception was arranged at a local hotel by an organisation named Cultural Heritage of Five Rivers. Speakers including Fakhar Zaman, Dr Sworn Singh and Sardar Ravindar Singh stressed the need for free people-to-people links between the two countries, particularly between the two Punjabs. They said the ancient Punjab culture has immensely contributed to the world civilisation and the common people should be made aware of their cultural heritage. This would give confidence to an ordinary person belonging to this region, they believed.

The Pakistani delegation reached Jalandhar in the evening and was given another reception there by SP Dr Sworn Singh. Water fans creating artificial rains at the lawn of the Haveli hotel added beauty to the repeated expressions of love by the hosts. The guests were served with traditional Punjabi food and drinks. The splendid hotel has all the staff in traditional Punjabi dress, although waiters also included men from Nepal.

The most attractive site that impressed the visiting delegation was, however, the neighbouring museum, where almost every aspect of the Punjabi culture was preserved in the shape of mud-made models.

Everything including farms, cities, people and their behaviour seemed common between the West and the East Punjab till the arrival of the delegation at Mohali, outside Chandigarh, around midnight. Here a dinner was arranged for the guests at a large building with a spacious lawn. The first thing the guests were offered was wine called ‘Daro’ in common Sikh parlance. The hosts insisted that the guests should enjoy it and expressed surprise when faced with refusal by a number of guests.

This was a major difference in culture between the two Punjabs. Here a drinker tries to keep his habit secret fearing public dislike, whereas there it is vice versa. A Sikh academic in Amritsar remarked in an informal discussion that the Punjab has six rivers: five are of water and one is of Daro.

The delegation reached Chandigarh late at night. The guests were lodged at a hotel named Shivalik View with two men in one room. The same hotel was the venue of the conference for the next three days.

Visiting Chandigarh is the same as visiting Islamabad because of stark similarities in the design of both the cities. The roads, turnabouts, markets and residential sectors all give a similar look. However, here as many women are seen driving scooters as men. The visit to the nearby market along with friends Shafqat Munir, Zia Khokhar and Ahmad Saleem in the morning of May 28 provided the first opportunity to see the attitude of the common people, who were welcoming and cooperative. The people in some cases even offered guidance before it is sought.

Chandigarh, built in 1953, is shared as capital by Indian states of Punjab and Haryana, neither of which has administrative control over the city. It is a Union territory and administered by the Indian government.

The city was named after a temple called Chandi, the goddess of love. It is located in the backdrop of the Shivalik Hills. It has total 47 sectors but strangely enough there is no sector 13. The venue of the Punjabi conference was in sector 17, the center of the city.

The conference was opened with a call by the World Punjabi Congress Chairman, Fakhar Zaman, to eliminate visa curbs between India and Pakistan. This demand was repeated by several participants and was part of the joint declaration adopted at the end of the moot.

Two East Punjab ministers were among the speakers on the first day of the conference that was addressed by intellectuals, academics and noted figures of both the countries during the next two days.

The speakers focused on two points: first, need for peace and cooperation in different fields and people-to-people close links between India and Pakistan, and second, the development of the Punjabi language and culture.

Contrary to the fears of some Pakistani delegates, expressed in private discussions, none of the Indian Punjab speakers talked about merger or unity of two Punjabs. A few Indian speakers even mentioned defensively the subsequent division of Indian Punjab into three provinces: Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pardesh. The emphasis of their discourses was, however, on the need for brotherhood, peace and free interaction between the people of the West and East Punjab in particular and people of Pakistan and India in general. Speakers from both the countries highlighted the fact that Pak-India friendship would provide great economic and political benefits to the people of this region.

East Punjab Education Minister Harnam Dass Johar, while talking to The News at the sidelines of the conference, said, "If the US and Canada can have no visa restrictions, why can’t India and Pakistan allow their citizens to move freely." He said India already has no visa restrictions with Nepal and Bhutan. He said the Kashmir issue must be resolved and the two countries must not indulge in war anymore. He said Punjabis had been the main victims of wars between India and Pakistan. He said Pakistan could purchase wheat from India, instead of importing it from as far away as Australia and the US.

Many Indians, who migrated from Pakistani cities in 1947, came to the conference venue looking for any Pakistani who may have come from the city of their ancestors. Several Sikhs, who migrated from Rawalpindi or its outskirts, met this scribe and colleague Shafqat Munir, showing tremendous love and affection. They narrated how the localities of the city looked like when they were there. They were keen to know in which shape those areas were at present.

At a reception for Pakistani journalists at the Chandigarh Press Club on May 30, a Sikh photographer of Rawalpindi origin even insisted to be snapped with us by placing his hands on our shoulders. Indian journalists desire for peace, harmony and love between the two countries was reciprocated by Pakistani newsmen. A joint resolution called for a free flow of information between Pakistan and India.

Fromer Pakistani filmstar Ghulam Mohiuddin, who was among the speakers on the first day of the conference, also attended the reception at the Chandigarh Press Club that the local journalists claimed is one of the most beautiful and spacious press clubs of India.

The same evening leader of the Pakistani delegation Fakhar Zaman was chief guest at the annual convocation of Dev Samaj College of Education (for women). The principal of the college praised Fakhar’s role in bringing the people of the two countries closer to each other. Fakhar, who is a former federal minister and founder president of the World Punjabi Congress, called for Pak-India cooperation in education including exchange of visits by teachers and students.

At night Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala hosted a dinner for the Pakistani delegation. This scribe could not attend the dinner. According to colleague Shafqat Munir, who attended the dinner, the chief minister introduced his cabinet to the guests and stressed the need for close brotherly relations between India and Pakistan. The dinner, the CM said, was arranged for the Pakistani guests to promote people-to-people links between the two countries. The simply dressed Haryana CM was delighted and embraced Shafqat when the later told the former that his ancestors belonged to Karnal, a district of Haryana. The Haryana CM also gave a block bed-sheet to every guest as a gift. Shafqat brought the gift for this scribe too.

During the three-day stay in Chandigarh a cultural programme was arranged in the evening daily. In the first day programme drama entitled "Gine Lahore Nai Vakhia, O Jamia Ee Nai" (who has not seen Lahore, is not born) was staged at a theatre. The author and the director, who also played a role in the drama, were Muslims. The rest of the actors were Sikhs or Hindus.

The delegation watched over two hours drama with immense interest. The powerful theme and superb acting enthralled them. The lesson the drama taught was that the peaceful co-existence between the followers of different religions was possible. This is the vested interest of individuals that divides the people, the religions teach love, tolerance and peace. The drama was followed by a programme of Lok Punjabi songs.

Indian journalists approached the members of the Pakistani delegation individually to elicit their views about Pak-India relations, a topic having great news value for Indian readers. A Press Trust of India correspondent visited the room of this scribe and Shafqat. When told that India should let the Kashmiris decide their course of future, he said New Delhi feared the repercussion of such a solution on other states hit by insurgencies.

Several members of the Pakistani delegation aired their concerns for not being allowed to visit the places of their origin in India because the visas they granted were specific for four cities. Indian newsmen covering the Punjabi conference also highlighted this issue in their reports.

The leader of the Pakistani delegation, Fakhar Zaman, in his earlier addresses at different places in India advocated that India and Pakistan should grant visas to each other’s citizens valid for the whole country until the visa system was abolished altogether. The Indian academics and intellectuals were also opposed to cities-specific visas.

A professor of the Punjab University Chandigarh and another of the Punjabi University Patiala even offered a trip to this scribe’s ancestral village, which was at an hour drive from Chandigarh, in disregard of the need for any official permission. The offer was however not accepted, following friends’ advice, to avoid any mishap.

On May 30 a Sikh contractor of a private taxi stand in sector 22 insisted that this scribe should sit with him for a chat. He said the people of India wanted to have brotherly ties with Pakistanis. "The governments of two countries may have some problems with each other, we do not have any problem," he said. On May 31 a few members of the delegation, including its head Fakhar Zaman and friend Zia Khokhar, returned to Pakistan. Fakhar led the delegation despite the fact that his wife, herself a noted poet, was in coma. She died a few days later.

Several others went to Shimla by a bus, but the majority headed to New Delhi by three buses. This scribe along with colleague Shafqat Munir and prolific writer Ahmad Saleem accompanied the Delhi-bound members of the delegation. When our bus reached Karnal, Shafqat got excited. He could not visit the village of his ancestors in Karnal district because of visa limitations, and was happy to be able to make a video of the people and buildings of the city from the running bus.

The buses after crossing Ambala, Karnal and Panipat, stopped for lunch at Shaan-e-Punjab Dhaba, a roadside hotel, at Gannaur in Soni Pat district. There was no Muslim employee at the hotel, adjacent store and petrol pump. The hotel staff had to cook fresh food, as the existing stock of pulses and vegetables was insufficient to cater to the needs of a large number of Muslim visitors, who avoided eating meat.

The buses reached the Indian capital in the evening and went straight to Punjab Bhawan (House), where a room was to be shared by four persons, because of the big number of guests. The administration of the Punjab Bhawan charged Rs 800 per room.

The stay at Chandigarh, journey to Delhi and next day back to Atari were sponsored by the organisers of the conference. Whereas the expenses of the stay in Delhi were to be incurred by the visitors themselves. The next day, after visiting the Indian capital, the majority of the delegation members returned to Atari on way to Pakistan by buses that were at their disposal since their arrival in India.

The driver of the bus while on way to Delhi promised with this scribe to make a stop at Rajpura, a town near the village of this scribe’s ancestors, during the return journey. He said, "I will stop at Rajpura for half an hour and you can hire a taxi to visit your village, that is hardly three kilometres from there. The taxi will take Rs 100 and can return in 20 minutes." He added, "This is my promise, my responsibility, and you need not worry."

However, this scribe along with friends Shafqat and Ahmed Saleem decided to stay for another day in Delhi and to conduct the return journey from Delhi to Amritsar by train, hoping the train would have a stop at Rajpura, that is a junction.

Columnist Hameed Akhtar, who shared the room with us on the first night in Delhi, later joined our programme. He was dejected over his failure to get permission from New Delhi to visit Ludhiana, his erstwhile town in India.

Delhi, a city that houses people of different languages and colours, has been free of environmental pollution for the last three years. No diesel vehicle can ply on its roads. From auto rickshaws to heavy buses all use CNG. Indians use local-made vehicles unlike Pakistanis who are fan of foreign-made automobiles. Delhi city faces frequent power breakdowns showing India’s deficiency in this sector. A shopkeeper, when told that the bottle of water he sold to us was not cold enough, remarked, "Where is electricity in India; the thieves who have looted the country for 50 years have come again." He seemed to be a BJP supporter. An official of the Punjab Academy, Delhi, described the large-scale power theft by the poor residents of tents in the heart of the capital as a reason for power crisis in Delhi.

The goods in Delhi are cheap as compared to Chandigarh, where an e-net cyber cafe in sector 17 market charged from this scribe Rs 35 (Pak Rs 46) per hour and a nearby shop charged Rs 20 (Pak Rs 26) for an Indian-made bottle of water, although the price written on the bottle was Rs 12. However, in Delhi Internet can be used at Rs 15 per hour and a bottle of water is available in its original price that is Rs 12. The cheapest item found in all Indian cities were newspapers. A 24-page newspaper costs only Rs 2 and in certain cases even Rs 1.50. In some cases shopkeepers got excited when they came to know that the customers were from neighbouring Pakistan. A shopkeeper referred to cricket player Shoaib to express his knowledge of the Rawalpindi city.

In a Delhi area four policemen started discussion with this scribe and Shafqat. Two of them vacated their chairs for us, and remained standing until the end of amiable discussion that lasted about 20 minutes. They talked against tensions and were all for peace and love between Pakistan and India. They said they wanted to visit Pakistan after the relaxation of visa curbs and full normalisation of relations between the two countries.

Pakistanis are not recognised as foreigners anywhere in India from their faces or language. The dress of Shalwar-Qameez, however, gives them somewhat separate identity. The Indians mostly wear Kurta-Pajama or Pent-Shirt.

We, however, felt more at home in areas around Jamia Masjid and Ghalib Ki Haveli. Maulana Abdullah, prayer leader of the historic Jamia Masjid, was not in Delhi when this scribe along with Shafqat visited the Masjid on June 1. His deputy was not ready to take questions saying only Maulana Abdullah deals with the media. He, however, allowed us to make snaps and video inside the mosque.

Two Namazis waiting for the Zohar prayer time told The News that Delhi has no communal tension at present because of the common realisation that the communal riots hit financially both the business community and the people. A Muslim visitor from another Indian city in the Masjid expressed concern over the sectarian terrorism in Pakistan. Outside the Jamia Masjid Pakistani currency can be exchanged with Indian currency, while at other places dollars are needed for exchange.

Ghalib ki Haveli is located in Qasim Jan Street of Mohallah Ballimaran, a total Muslim locality. A ‘Sabil’, fixed since 1885 in the wall at the Ballimaran entrance on main Chandni Chowk road, still quenches the thirst of visitors. Ghalib lived in that Haveli from 1860 to 1869, the last years of his life.

Three rooms at the ground floor of the Haveli are decorated with the poetry and pictures of the great poet who is as popular today as he might be in his life. These rooms were acquired by the government from the owner following a high court decision to preserve the place as historical heritage. The ground floor also has a PCO and a few other small shops rented out by the owner, who lives in the upper story.

The owner told this scribe that the third generation of his family was now living in the Haveli. A lunch at a small hotel in Ballimaran was the same in taste as in any modest hotel in Pakistan.

Ahmad Saleem took Shafqat and this scribe to the Punjabi Academy, Delhi to meet Dr Sutinder Singh Noor, head of the Indian chapter of World Punjabi Congress. Dr S S Noor, who also remained head of the Punjabi Department at Delhi University, advocated love between the people of two countries. Earlier, he had helped this scribe in Chandigarh by translating from Gurmukhi to English the declaration before it was issued at the end of the 10th world Punjabi conference.

At the Delhi Railway Station in the evening of June 2, while waiting for Golden Temple Mail train that comes from Bombay and goes to Amritsar, this scribe was amazed to see a line of over 1,000 passengers, none of whom was showing any sign of unrest or indiscipline. They were purchasing tickets for Bihar at platform No 11 and all seemed sure to be accommodated at their turn.

Ahmad Saleem took extra pains to search and buy the train schedule after visiting bookstalls at different platforms. He wanted to ensure whether the train would stop at Rajpura. To our dismay, the train had no stop there.

An AC sleeper ticket from Delhi to Amritsar was for Indian Rs 550 (Pakistani Rs 715). A separate counter at the railway reservation office deals with foreigners, who are required to make payment in dollars. The railway is thus playing a role in yearning foreign exchange for India.

The journey took about 11 hours as the Golden Temple Mail covered extra distance coming via Meerut, a UP city. Other big cities on the way were Saharanpur, Ambala, Ludhiana and Jalandhar. Bedding, comprising two sheets and a pillow, was provided to every passenger and its charge was inclusive in the fare. Each sleeper compartment had an attendant to keep watch of the passengers’ luggage and help them as and when required.

The attendant of our compartment, who was a Hindu and in his mid twenties, told this scribe that he gets Rs 5,000 (Pak Rs 6,500) salary from the railway authorities. This was indeed a reasonable amount as compared to the salaries of lower staff in Pakistan. The attendant said he used to lock the doors at midnight and take a nap. He was very cooperative and did not mind being disturbed as this scribe disembarked on every station where the train stopped. Late at night Rajpura appeared as a short scene on the screen watched by this scribe and brother Shafqat.

Tea stalls at the stations have started serving tea in coollar, made of clay, after being instructed to do so by the new Railway Minister Lalo Parshad, who is popular among the common people, particularly rickshaw drivers in Delhi.

The train reached Amritsar 10 minutes ahead of the scheduled time, although it was an hour late when arrived at Delhi Railway Station from Bombay. A room at a hostel near Golden Temple was already booked for Ahmed Saleem, who planned to stay in Amritsar for two days. We hastened to move to the hostel, where Ahmad’s literary friends Jatinder Singh Jolli and Perminder Jeet reached soon after, complaining that they went to the station on time but could not find us.

Amritsar city has the Sikh community’s famous Golden Temple and historical Jallianwala Bagh, which was a scene of massacre in 1919 during the British Raj. The Sikhs conceive no life without Daro; but they do not tolerate even smoking outside the gates of their holy Golden Temple. The temple is surrounded by large ponds that add glitter to its gold. Adherents of any religion can visit the temple. The hostels near the temple provide cheap accommodation to visitors.

Jatinder Singh Jolli, who is a writer and teaches at the Punjabi Department of Guru Nanak University, Amritsar, and Perminder Jeet, who is a poet and editor of Punjabi magazine Akhar, accompanied us for six hours in Amritsar. They repeatedly expressed love for Pakistanis and recalled the love they received when they visited Pakistan. They served us a breakfast of tasteful kultchas and Lassi at a small hotel and then forced us to eat famous Amritsar Jalibis at another shop. When Ahmad Saleem tried to make the payment, they said, "When we come to Lahore again, will you allow us to pay."

They also led us to visit a women’s private college, where principal Nanek Singh narrated what he termed the unforgettable memories of his Lahore visit. A Sikh poet known as Mastana also entertained us with his loving poems at a room used as assembly point of poets. After visiting Golden Temple and Jallianwala Bagh, we took leave of our hosts and headed towards Atari on way to Pakistan.

While crossing Atari, this scribe and Shafqat met a Hindu family, comprising husband, wife and their son and daughter, who came from Delhi to have a glimpse of the Pakistani side of the border. They had a camera and requested us to make their photo with the Pakistani border in the background. They told us that they had an earnest desire to visit Lahore, a city of their ancestors, but could not manage it because of visa problems. They were quite upset while saying that they had covered a long distance but had to return from so near of their desired destination. Soon they were asked by an Indian border official to go back as the time of their visit had finished. They looked at us desperately as we moved towards Wagah. The day may come when no one returns from the border in desperation. The sooner it comes, the better it is.