Asghar Ali Engineer is a rights activist and heads two organisations, the Institute of Islamic Studies and the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism. He has authored or edited 44 books on such issues as Islam and communal and ethnic problems in India and South Asia in general.

        Recently the Indo-Pak relationship has taken a new turn with both the Prime Ministers showing a spirit of friendship and re-conciliation. Recently Nawaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, in an interview to a newspaper struck a positive note and  said, "Let us discuss the N-Issue, the Missile Issue...let's talk directly." It is very meaningful statement. He said in the interview, "India doesn't want third party intervention in Kashmir, so why a third party role on the nuclear issue? Or else, let's have third party in Kashmir as well," he said. It is quite heartening news. 
        Nawaz Sharif was saying this to Shekhar Gupta of Indian Express on the eve of a visit by the US delegation led by Strobe Talbott.  He also said that "The (nuclear) threat is all here. So why not resolve the issue between ourselves." For years attempts are being made to promote peace between the two countries and improve relations. For the last couple of years people to people initiative also surfaced and some four conferences were held in India and Pakistan in different cities. In November, 1998 a conference was held in Peshawar in which more than 100 persons from India participated. And, needless to say, it has created right climate for better relationship between India and Pakistan. 
        Whosoever goes to Pakistan comes with the impression that people of Pakistan desire friendship with India and those who visit India from Pakistan go with similar impression. It is obvious that there is no feeling of enmity between peoples of India and Pakistan. And yet it is so difficult to build bridges thanks to tangled political issues chief among which is the Kashmir issue. Also, the right wing parties in both the countries want to keep tensions alive - the Sangh Parivar in India and the Jamat-e-Islami in Pakistan. 
        Recently the Shiv Sena tried to sabotage the cricket match between India and Pakistan and dug the pitch at Firozshah Kotla grounds in Delhi and threatened that the Shiv Sainiks will lay down their lives but would not allow the match with Pakistan on Indian soil. The ostensible reason being that Pakistan is sending terrorists to Kashmir. But the political analysts know that real reason for such behaviour on the part of Shiv Sena lay elsewhere. It is doing all this with an eye on coming state elections in Maharashtra in the year 2000. The Shiv Sainiks also threatened to set fire to the bus which came from Pakistan on its trial run last month. The Jamat-e-Islami fellows held out similar threat in Pakistan. 
        But the animosity between the two countries has gone too far and now there is an urgent need for reconciliation. The people on both the sides of the border are eager to develop better relationship. It will immensely benefit both the countries. Partition is a history and should not embitter us any more. Partition was also after all brought about by politicians from both sides. The people were not responsible for it. On the contrary they suffered greatly as more than million people were slaughtered and millions lost their everything. 
        Anyway partition cannot be undone and wisdom demands that we now live as good friends. In fact even the Congress leaders like Nehru and Sardar Patel who must share part of responsibility for partition, had hoped that partition was the only solution left for the communal problem and once it takes place both countries will live in peace and harmony. They also used the example of two brothers fighting over property but living in peace after separation. 
        For last fifty years we have lived with uneasy relationship and have fought three wars. Now we should say enough is enough and bring about reconciliation between two brothers in right earnestness. We have much in common - our languages, cultures and even religions as there are Hindus, Muslims and Christians on both sides. Many people from both sides are very eager to visit India and Pakistan. There are divided families. In many cases if one brother is on this side of the divide the other brother is on the other side. In some cases if mother is on this side, father is on the other side. 
        Besides these  people millions of tourists would like to go to the other country. Sikhs have their sacred places in Lahore and other parts of Punjab. Nankana Saheb, the most sacred place of Sikhs is in Pakistani Punjab. Thousands of Indians would like to visit Mohanjodaro and Taxila which belong to our shared period of history. We are all justly proud of our old heritage. Similarly thousands of Pakistani are surely very eager to visit Qutub Minar, Taj Mahal and Lal Qila equally precious heritage from the Sultanate and Moghal period. The young generation of Pakistani Muslims born after partition may not have at all visited these historical monuments. 
        Besides relatives and tourists litteraturs, writers and journalists are equally eager to visit each others countries. The Punjabi writers from Indian and Pakistani side would very much like to meet frequently and discuss literary issues. They share common literary heritage. When they meet they embrace each other warmly. Similarly Urdu literature - both poetry and fiction - has so much in common on both sides. There are great Urdu poets and fiction writers both from India and Pakistan. If India has among living poets Sardar Jafri and Majruh Sultanpuri, Pakistan has among living fiction writers Intizar Husain and Ahmad Ndeem Qasmi. 
        Also, much is being written by many poets and fiction writers on both sides belonging to younger generation. They are so eager to meet each other and exchange ideas. Unfortunately it is difficult to obtain even literary magazines and books and there is great paucity of literary and journalistic exchanges. And this despite the fact that litterateurs and journalists from both sides have so much to share with each other. 
        Then we have business community so eager to promote trade between the two countries. It is no longer true that the Pakistani businessmen are afraid of India and would not like exchange of trade. Those days are gone. Now Pakistani businessmen are equally eager to develop better trade relationship between the two countries. The late Mehbubul Haque, the noted Pakistani economist, had fervently pleaded for promotion of better trade relations between the two countries saying that informal (illegal) trade worth crores of rupees was already taking place across the border. In Lahore there is India Bazar where everything Indian is sold. It is said that this informal trade is in the region of a few billion dollars. 
        The European nations which fought fiercely against each other until the second world war in 1945 have not only forged close relationship with each other but have formed a common European Union, a common market and now of course a common currency. And it is so unfortunate that India and Pakistan have not succeeded in as much as liberalising the visa regime. On the contrary it has been tightened. India was forced to  close down its consulate in Karachi and Pakistan in Bombay. The people are so inconvenienced to obtain visa. They have to go either to Islamabad or Delhi and that too with an air of uncertainty. The visa applications are sent to the foreign ministries of respective countries by the high commissions for clearance. It does not happen with any other country. Then there is humiliating condition of police reporting. Again very few other countries insist on this. And if you are lucky to get visa with all this, your visit is restricted to one or two cities specified in the visa. In case of other countries no such restrictions are there. Once you get visa you can go to any part of the country. 
         All this must go. Preferably and ideally visa regime should be abolished altogether. All over the SAARC countries people should be free to travel. Now no visa are required by the nationals of European countries within the European Union. They can show their passport and go. The argument that the spies will infiltrate is not very strong one. They do anyway. The intelligence agencies of both the countries can keep an eye to detect such undesirable elements. If visas cannot be abolished they should at least be liberalised. There should be consulates in different parts of the countries and people desirous of visiting Pakistan or India should be assured of visas except where there is strong case or suspicion. 
        Kashmir problem is of course the main culprit. But it is not easy of solution and may take much longer to resolve than even the most optimists think. Not that it is impossible to do so. Both sides should show generosity to each other despite political caution. Right now there appear to be only two alternatives: either convert the line of control into an international border or freeze the whole issue for twenty five years. The coming generation may not be so sentimental about it as we are. They may be more capable of settling it coolly. It must be realised that both sides may find it extremely difficult to retreat from their respective positions on Kashmir. If any government does that may face stiff opposition from right wingers. But at some point the governments in both the countries will have to take risk in the interest of peace and harmony. As some individuals are at times are called upon to lay down their lives and become martyrs some governments may also have to play similar role in the larger interest of their people. 
        We have fought three wars and have failed to resolve the Kashmir issue. We are spending huge sums on the armies. This money, all sensible people will agree, could be fruitfully invested for removal of poverty, illiteracy and unemployment. For each fighter jet that we buy, thousands of children can be made literate. With every tank that we manufacture hundreds of people can feed themselves. It is poverty and illiteracy which is our common enemy. Let us fight common enemies rather than each other. 
        Now there is some hope in the air. Shri Vajpayee, the Prime Minister of India, has announced that he will be the first passenger in the bus service to Pakistan and Nawaz Sharif has said that he will accompany Shri Vajpayee on the return journey to India. And the Chief Minister of Punjab Shri Badal has announced that he will accord grand reception to both the Prime ministers in Amritsar. Let all sensible people support these efforts in right earnest. Let us join hands and convert theatre of war into an arena of peace and prosperity. It will be the greatest service to the peoples of both the countries. And the Noble Prize for peace should be shared by the two Prime Ministers. 

Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, 
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India.