I recently got a chance to conduct an e-mail interview with India’s High Commissioner to Pakistan, Ajay Bisaria. In this interview, we discuss a number of matters, ranging from the high commissioner’s views on Partition to how business ties can improve the bilateral relationship as well as reflections on his tenure so far in Islamabad.
Yash Johri (YJ): Sir, from your experience as the ambassador over the past 4-5 months, what is the sense you get of young people’s, from a variety of backgrounds, attitude towards the relationship with India?
High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria (HC): My experience of the last four months in Pakistan has been both an education and a revelation. I am struck by the huge amounts of goodwill that people here have for India and by the warmth of personal interactions. I have had the opportunity to interact with a cross-section of Pakistanis, a lot of young folks among them – journalists, artists, officials, think-tanks – and there is much to learn from them.
As you know, the demographic profile of India and Pakistan is strikingly similar. Two-thirds of our people are below the age of 35, which means the bulk of Indians and Pakistanis have no memory of any major bilateral conflict (1965 or 1971), leave alone the horrors of Partition, since they were born four decades after our countries were created. In fact, Pakistan is even younger, with two of three citizens said to be under 25. This is a globalised digital generation with similar aspirations and inclinations and very little patience for the issues that have dogged us for seven decades. This sharp drop in our median age is both a fascinating subject for research on attitudes and a reason for hope for the future since we need to re-imagine our interaction, to look at this relationship with fresh eyes, free from the shackles of history.
YJ: Partition in 1947 saw humanity in the sub-continent ebb to its lowest level. This has been reflected in the works of Manto, Bhisham Sahni, as well as Khushwant Singh. Yet we continue to evoke the same base spirit time and again for ends of arousing nationalistic fervour, which does, in turn, perpetuate negative attitudes towards one another, some of which manifest in acts of violence. Sir, how do you perceive this phenomenon, given the numerous commonalities that Indian and Pakistani persons share ranging far beyond even culture, costume and custom?
HC: Partition must be remembered for all its horrors and historical lessons just as we try never to forget other monumental tragedies of the twentieth century, like the World Wars. However, our two nations were born with that Partition and this created a separate set of bitter-sweet memories, where the joy of new nationhood was tempered by the sorrow of loss for those who lost family and friends or were forced to abandon home and hearth.
Talking of Partition, I was delighted to see the Partition museum in Amritsar, which celebrates some poignant common memories of our joint heritage of that period. I believe a museum is coming up in Lahore, which will similarly mirror and echo memories of Partition. We also have some brilliant young scholars, like Aanchal Malhotra, who have written books on Partition with their own unique take on the physical objects and memories of that period.
The real challenge is to build something positive in the future from the shared legacy of that period, to not repeat the mistakes of the last seven decades, and to not wait for our 100th birthdays to redress these errors. We need to move gently but surely in the direction of peace and a normalised relationship. The question is, how long will it take us to get there?
YJ: Business and trade relations often work towards improving familiarity in complex relationships, albeit under the radar. Everybody says that there are great opportunities for Indian business in Pakistan and vice versa, but why do our primordial instincts as nations vis-à-vis each other seem to always get in the way of even non-political work?
HC: Economic exchange between the two growing neighbours is important of and by itself. It is also the key to creating constituencies for peace and to move our relationship to a new plane of normal business and trade, of win-win interactions.
The World Bank tells us thsat if all non-tariff barriers are removed, our trade can move to a level of US$ 30 billion or more. Various other studies put this potential between US$ 30 billion to US$ 80 billion. We don’t have to look far for an example of healthy trade between two neighbours with differing perceptions of borders. India’ bilateral trade with China is already more the US$ 85 billion, notwithstanding our differences. Clearly, these possibilities should be a strong incentive for us to work towards creating an atmosphere free of violence and terror, so that India and Pakistan could harness this vast potential.
Also, media has a huge responsibility in reporting this relationship with sensitivity and maturity, eschewing sensationalism or exaggeration, because media hype often reduces the space for constructive political and diplomatic moves forward. Media often whips up public opinion even to reduce the space for economic or cultural initiatives.
YJ: What have you enjoyed most about living in Islamabad so far?
HC: Islamabad is a unique city that grows on you. It is almost surreal. It often feels like a bubble, with its magnificent architecture and green spaces. But it is easy to succumb to the charm of wide tree-lined avenues, the absence of congestion or pollution, and the captivating trails of the Margalla hills.
Yash Johri is presently a law student at the Faculty of Law, Delhi University. He is an alumnus of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
Note: The title of this post was changed at 10:18 AM on April 27.