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RAVI SHARMA
SARABJIT PANDHER
PRACHI PINGLAY
ON April 7, Kashmir will, for the first time in 15 years, celebrate for a reason that is not about the electoral victory of a political party or the release of a jailed separatist leader. It is about an unusual journey, "towards hope and peace" on the first bus in 57 years on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road.
Voices of reason on either side of the divide have prevailed over the voices of dissent to make this happen. "We have waited 57 years to see this road open as it will reunite us for betterment," G.M. Mir, a prolific writer from Muzaffarabad told Frontline recently. Divided families, which have been badly affected by the India-Pakistan hostilities, and masses alike see the 170-km bus ride as a major step towards reconciliation. "It is a big development. Those who have not met for so many decades will be able to meet without being tailed by agencies on both sides," said Irshad Ahmed, a shopkeeper in Uri. "We also want this to become a trade route for our goods not only to Pakistan but to China, Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia," he added. This will happen eventually, believes Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, after the bus becomes a daily service from the present fortnightly one.
Seen as the biggest confidence-building measure (CBM) since India and Pakistan announced a ceasefire in November 2003, the bus service has clearly raised new hope after the initial cynicism. When the authorities first issued the application forms for the permit to cross the Line of Control (LoC), on March 7, only a few dozen people turned up for it at the Tourist Reception Centre (TRC) in Srinagar. "We have only been deceived so far, so it takes time to believe something. That is why, I think, in the initial days the response was poor," said Arshad Hussain, a psychologist. But by the third week of March there were large crowds at the counters at the TRC and the district headquarters, including Baramulla, Kupwara and Rajouri, and the police even had to resort to lathi-charge.
Applicants have to submit a set of six forms, which is then sent to the Jammu and Kashmir Police Department and its two wings, the Criminal Investigation Department and Counter Intelligence, and, according to some reports, to the Intelligence Bureau (I.B.) as well. So far the process has been hassle-free and permits have been cleared for 40 prospective passengers, most of them belonging to families that were divided during Partition. Of them, only 29 can make it on the first bus. An equal number is expected in Srinagar on the bus from Muzaffarabad. If the governments are leaving no stone unturned to prepare for the event, the people living on either side of the road, particularly in Baramulla and Uri, are beautifying their houses to organise a grand welcome for the guests.
"THE Muzaffarabad trip is my last wish," said Ali Mohammad Lone, who was at the Deputy Commissioner's office on March 22, hoping to get the application form. His first attempt at the TRC in Srinagar had failed. The 84-year-old Lone has a good reason to be on the bus. "I want to see my daughter and her family," he said. His daughter was a small girl when they were separated during Partition and he settled in Uri, taking a second wife. They have no children, though. His daughter is now married and settled in Muzaffarabad.
For Muttawali Khan, 80, of Uri, the bus is a dream come true. "My sister lives just across [the LoC] and I have not seen her. You cannot imagine how much I have suffered mentally," he told Frontline. It would take him only 30 minutes to reach the other side, but "imagine having to go to Delhi to get a visa and then travelling to Lahore via Wagah before reaching Muzaffarabad". He blamed politicians on both sides for the mess but added with a smile: Lekin yahi sayastdan to isko kholney waley hein (but these politicians only are going to open this road).
The wait for loved ones from the other side is equally painful. Showkat Ahmed, a government employee in Baramulla, is hoping to receive his maternal uncle Sharief Hussain. "We knew he had applied for the permit when the police came to verify our relationship with him," he said. Showkat, 45, is busy planning a big feast on April 7 for the uncle he has never seen.
Not even a threat from four militant organisations to the passengers asking them not to board the "coffin" has dampened spirits. The organisations - Al Nasireen (The Helpers), the Save Kashmir Movement, Al Arifeen (The Pious) and the Farzandan-e-Millat (Sons of Community) - even released the names and addresses of the 40 prospective passengers. The first two groups are major militant movements in Kashmir, responsible for a number of fidayeen attacks, but the others are obscure outfits. A senior official in Srinagar speculated that the list, which was in Urdu, may have been leaked in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK).
The bus service was a "deep conspiracy by the Indian government" and "a lethal weapon to cause damage to the very foundation of the freedom struggle", a joint statement in Urdu said and added, in a "friendly advice" to passengers, that they should not board "this coffin to Muzaffarabad".
But many of the passengers are undeterred by the threat. "I will go come what may," said Ghulam Fatima, an elderly woman in the Lal Bazaar area of Srinagar. She and her husband, Mohammad Abdullah Bhat, had applied for the permit to be on the first bus. "If I am killed let my daughter know that I tried to meet her," she said. Fatima is desperate to see her daughter whom she married off in 1988 and has not seen since. "The situation turned violent in 1989 and there was no chance to meet her," she said. "I am dying to see my four grandchildren," she added.
Zain-ul-Abidin Shah, 63, of Srinagar is another prospective passenger who does not care for the threat. "I am not committing a sin, but only going to see my brother whom I have not seen since 1987," said the retired headmaster of a government school. "I have been to Muzaffarabad four times but not since 1987," he said. He is keen that his brother, Syed Allaudin, come to Srinagar. "He has not yet applied for the permit. In fact, he is waiting for me," said an excited Zain-ul-Abidin.
Farooq Abdullah, former Chief Minister and now patron of the National Conference (N.C.), opposed the travel permit in a statement in the Rajya Sabha and said the visa- and passport-free permit would undermine the security of the State. However, N.C. president Omar Abdullah, sensing the mood on the ground and in his party, disowned the statement as his father's personal view and said Farooq Abdullah was not authorised to speak on a policy issue. "We fully support the bus service and want it to be a daily one," said Omar Abdullah.
The separatists are divided on the issue. The moderate faction of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and many other groups welcomed the move. "The Government of India should open other routes as well," said the Mirwaiz, but he added: "CBMs alone will not work. A meaningful dialogue alone can help to resolve the issue." By opening the road only the humanitarian issue has been addressed, he said. But his counterpart in another faction of the Hurriyat, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, is critical of the move. The pro-Pakistan hardline leader even raised a banner of revolt against Pakistan and boycotted the Pakistan Day celebration at its High Commission in New Delhi. "Opening of the road is an Indian agenda as it wants to maintain the status quo and Pakistan has unfortunately come in this trap. Their [Pakistan] shift in policy is not acceptable to Kashmiris," Geelani told Frontline.
INZAMAM-UL-HAQ, Pakistan's cricket captain, unlike Geelani, prefers to see the positives in the emerging situation. "Insha Allah (God willing), it will continue this way," he told Frontline in Bangalore, where a Test match was played recently. He was referring to the atmosphere in which the game was played, free of the tension and hostility that have characterised India-Pakistan sporting encounters.
Indeed, going by the bonhomie that was evident on and off the field in the just-concluded three-Test series, the surcharged atmosphere of the past is a long-forgotten nightmare. Credit for this new setting should go to the people of both countries, who have travelled across the border to witness their teams play. Indians went across in 2004, when the Indian team toured Pakistan, and now they play host to Pakistanis who have come to cheer their country on its tour of India. Nearly 3,500 fans travelled to Mohali in Punjab for the first Test match and almost 800 went to Bangalore. A further 5,000 are expected in New Delhi for the sixth and final One-Day International to be played on April 17. In Bangalore, the Karnataka State Cricket Association earmarked an entire stand for the Pakistani visitors.
Said Mansoor M. Khan, president and chief operating officer of the Saudi Pak Commercial Bank: "This is unbelievable. I never thought I'd ever see in my lifetime Pakistani and Indian fans waving flags and cheering on the same ground. Just a few years ago it would have been unthinkable for me to cheer openly for Pakistan when they played in India. I couldn't have dared wear Pakistani colours as I am doing now. The initiative for this camaraderie started last year when we welcomed and hosted Indian fans for the two one-dayers in Lahore [during India's tour of Pakistan]."
Added Ashraf Khan, a Karachi-based businessman: "When I was here during the India-Pakistan World Cup clash in 1996, I couldn't even disclose my identity, leave alone cheer for Pakistan or clap when Tendulkar was out. There was a lot of tension. Now there is a sea of difference. As you can see, I'm wearing the green Pakistani floppy and waving the Pakistani flag. But nobody seems to mind."
Both Ashraf and Mansoor were in Bangalore along with a group of friends `led' by the legendary Pakistani batsman Zaheer Abbas. Abbas told Frontline that the increased people-to-people contact was something to rejoice about. "When I came here (Bangalore) the last time (1996), the situation was terrible. But now it's different, friendly," he said. Abbas maintained that the high spectator-interest provoked rivalry among fans but this did not extend to the players on the ground.
Why have spectators mellowed over the past two years? India's vice-captain Rahul Dravid thinks it could be because the two teams have played each other more often. "The tension eases when we play more frequently with each other," he said.
The general feeling among the Pakistani fans in Bangalore was that people-to-people relationships were always pure and that people rather than politicians should drive the relations between the countries. Politicians, they felt, "only exploit the situation". Said Raza Minhas, Administrator of Karachi's Foundation Public School: "This has been a wonderful experience. There must be people-to-people contact if we are to resolve our differences. And a solution has to be found for Kashmir." Minhas's wife, Yasmeen, who is the Principal of the Foundation School, had another reason to be in Bangalore. She was looking for Nazneen Hussain, a Bangalorean and a former roommate at Syracuse University in the United States, whom she had not seen since 1977.
Added Muhammed Irfan from Lahore: "We are very happy with the Indian hospitality. It has almost been like home. We wish we could have stayed longer. We love and respect India and its people. We also feel that Indians love us."
To broaden the contacts, many of the cricket fans suggested that the governments raise the frequency of direct flights, open more High Commissions (especially reopen the Indian one in Karachi), increase the frequency of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, open the Khokhrapar border to enable people to cross it, and co-produce films and screen them in both countries.
Said Nadeem Joseph from Peshawar, who also attended Sunday mass at the Hudson Memorial Church in Bangalore: "India is more developed in areas such as medical facilities, research and education. Pakistanis can come here for treatment and even education. The level of trade should also go up. We can buy your motorcycles; they look good. For a start, during summer vacations there should be exchange visits of schoolchildren from the two countries. Let children experience what the other country is like."
But not all Pakistanis were in Bangalore "just for the cricket". Though they had valid tickets - visas were linked to the holding of a ticket - they preferred going out shopping and sightseeing. Mysore and Tipu Sultan's Palace at Srirangapatnam were the favoured destinations.
Visiting fans also had their share of complaints, mainly against the complex formalities in Islamabad, the long delay in processing their visas, the short duration and area-specific nature of their visas, the lack of tickets on the train from Delhi to Bangalore, the long wait at immigration and customs counters at Attari and the fact that they could not cross the border on foot and instead had to travel by bus or train, both of which did not run daily.
Said Zaheer Babar from Lahore, who paid around Rs.3,500 towards a ticket for the match and visa fees: "There has to be more pucca (proper) arrangements. All of us got our visas on March 21 and the Test in Bangalore started on March 24. It was impossible to get to Bangalore from Lahore in three days unless you flew, and not all of us could afford it. So we missed the first day's play. Many fans even got stuck in Delhi."
Those who did come cheered Pakistan to an unexpected win on the final day. According to Inzamam, the younger players benefited from the relaxed atmosphere since it meant less pressure from the spectators. He disagreed with the view that a friendly atmosphere during India-Pakistan matches could dampen the competitive spirit.
Admittedly, only the doves made the journey to India and were received wholeheartedly by the Indians, and just how fast the still developing detente could unravel was all too evident during the Bangalore Test. For instance, a placard bore the slogan: "This [friendship] won't last for long if you don't solve the Kashmir problem."
ONE way to keep the friendship going would be to provide content to the CBMs initiated by the Central government. One such exercise came from Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh when he crossed over at the Wagah border checkpost on March 14 to an elaborate reception. The scion of the royal family of the erstwhile Patiala principality, accompanied by a nine-member official entourage, 40-odd businessmen and around 20 mediapersons, was treated to a shower of rose petals and banners of greetings in Gurmukhi and Hindi. "When your horses are also dancing how can I use words to appreciate your hospitality?" Amarinder Singh said at one of the receptions during the three-day visit.
He made courtesy calls on President Pervez Musharraf, who, as a goodwill gesture, ordered the release of over 600 prisoners, including some Punjabis who had been tricked by travel agents promising better opportunities in foreign lands and landed up in Pakistani jails. (Amarinder Singh returned with the first batch of 23 prisoners.)
He also called on Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, who favoured running 10 buses from Amritsar to Nanakana Sahib in Shekhupura district, the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of the Sikh faith. If all goes well at the bilateral level, the buses may run on Baisakhi Day (in mid-April), which Sikhs celebrate as the anniversary of the creation of the Khalsa order.
Amarinder Singh visited Nanakana Sahib and laid the foundation for a road project - a dual carriageway from Nanakana Sahib to Manawala near Lahore - and addressed a public rally, both firsts by an Indian leader in Pakistan since Independence. The project had been announced by Pervez Elahi, the Chief Minister of Punjab in Pakistan, when he visited India in December last year to attend a Punjabi conference in Patiala. The 18-km stretch, which would be built at a cost of Rs.26 crores, would be called "Baba Guru Nanak Road".
The West Punjab government also proposes to spend Rs.47 crores to augment the 25 km road from the Wagah border to Lahore. On its completion, travel time from Amritsar to Nanakana Sahib, through Wagah, Lahore, Shekhupura and Manawala will be reduced by at least two hours. Pilgrims can travel a distance of just under 150 km and return to Amritsar within six hours.
Amarinder Singh first visited Gurdwara Panja Sahib at Hasan Abdal, north of Islamabad, where his father, Maharaja Yadvindra Singh, had initiated the sewa (service) on October 14, 1932, for the construction of the sarovar. This shrine commemorates the visit of Guru Nanak Dev and preserves a boulder, which was rolled on to him by an antagonistic person. Sikhs believe that the rock bears the hand impression of the Guru, from which the shrine gets it name.
En route to Panja Sahib, Amarinder Singh stopped at the Hindu pilgrimage centre at Katasraj in Chakwal district. The dilapidated shrine, which has a history dating to 600 B.C., is associated with Siva and water from the spring there evokes as much reverence as that from the Pushkar lake at Ajmer in Rajasthan. While Elahi promised to initiate the restoration of Katasraj, Amarinder Singh announced a donation of Rs.11 lakhs and promised to organise a team of experts to plan and undertake the restoration.
However, Amarinder Singh's laying of the foundation of the road project was more important especially in the context of the Punjabi diaspora. The road and a relaxed visa regime, which appears within reach, would be major steps towards the fulfilment of their prayer (ardas) for unhindered access to the Gurdham (shrines associated with the lives of the gurus).
Amarinder Singh also received important support from Elahi on the need to impress upon the Pakistani leadership about easing restrictions on the movement of pilgrims of all communities. Elahi said the arrival of more pilgrims arriving from India would not only improve Pakistan's image at the international level but also help boost the local economy.
However, Sikhs at Panja Sahib drew Amarinder Singh's attention to their pathetic condition. They pointed out that while Sikhs in India got easy access to shrines in Pakistan, the requests of Sikhs in Pakistan to visit the Harmandar Sahib in Amritsar were not granted. They claimed that the Indian government, while granting visas to Sikhs from Pakistan, always kept Punjab out of bounds for them. As a result they could not participate in the tercentenary celebrations of the creation of the Khalsa in 1999 and the quadracentennial last year of the installation of the Guru Granth Sahib in the Golden Temple and the 300th anniversary of the martyrdom of the four sahibzadas (sons) of Guru Gobind Singh.
NOT much has changed on this front since then, as a group of Pakistanis seeking to come to India to participate in an India-Pakistan peace march from Delhi to Multan, a distance of 1,000 km, found out. "It is disappointing that the Pakistani group could not join us today but they are waiting for clearance," said Sandeep Pandey, the force behind the "shantipadayatra", which began on March 23 and retraces the route that the Sufi saint Nizamuddin Aulia took in the 13th century. "Our visa procedures are quite tedious and visas are given for specific places like Amritsar or Delhi. To participate in the march they need separate permission to cross the border on foot."
However, Sandeep Pandey is enthused by the support he has received. "In our earlier marches, whether it was for communal harmony or for nuclear disarmament, there was some opposition. But for this march there has been complete support from every person we met," he said.
The Indian participants are from all over the country and from various walks of life. There is Rambharose Yadav from a village in Uttar Pradesh, who is in his sixties and intends to go all the way to Multan, which the core group of 130-odd marchers hopes to reach on May 11. One of the marchers quit the Army to support the cause of India-Pakistan peace.
Not many will be able to go the full distance. Said Anil Das of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, who has been with Sandeep Pandey on earlier marches: "It is difficult to get passports done as we have many police cases against us because we have participated in demonstrations. But we will go as far as we can." For many of them it will be up to the Wagah border. En route they will pass through Sonipat, Panipat, Ambala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar.
Harshawardhan, an IIT graduate, handles the administrative procedures for the marchers. Coordinating between the marchers, officials at various points and the media, he is at home with the chaos building up around him.
Film director Mahesh Bhatt participated on the first day and plans to join the marchers at Wagah. Asked how such efforts will help, he said: "According to me, we are just a brick in the wall and this wall is just one wall in the cathedral. After 56 years of hostility it is not going to be easy, but all great movements have started with a handful of people." He commended people like Sandeep Pandey as the "real people who are fighting a battle against biases". He said: "This can be a guiding star in a dark night for civil society and a reminder to the establishments on both sides. There is yearning on both sides to come together."
Indeed, even ordinary onlookers are excited about the march. "Are you going to Multan?" brothers Krishnaraj and Hansraj asked Sandeep Pandey. "Our families came away from Multan after Partition. We have never been there, but our father's generation keeps talking about the times they spent there. We used to have land and houses and everything. Now we are only labourers. When you go there give our salaam to the soil of Multan."
Among the marchers is a Japanese monk living in Ayodhya and working for communal peace. He beats a drum and the marchers fall in step, singing and raising slogans all the way as they cover about 20 km every day. The only women marchers as the group approached Karnal in Haryana were three Danish girls working for social organisations in Denmark. "We have been attracting a lot of attention because we look different. We are not very comfortable but the cause is more important," said one of them.
Sandeep Pandey attributes the lack of representation of women to the Holi festival and the fact that they cannot leave their homes for such a long period. "There were a few women earlier, but one of them was bitten by a monkey and is under treatment. More will join as we progress," he said.
At Karnal, the marchers distributed fliers and engaged many onlookers. They organised a play on Bhagat Singh at the local library and spoke about the need for a peaceful solution to the Kashmir issue, easing visa restrictions, and nuclear disarmament. The audience supported them wholeheartedly.
But will the euphoria last? Sandeep Pandey admits that the enthusiasm may be short-lived but "we have to make the most of it". And the process will give the peoples of India and Pakistan a chance to show the world that they can live as friends and good neighbours.
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