Reema Shaukat
Whenever the peace initiatives are taken by Pakistan to have regional stability and peace with nuclear armed neighbour India, it is observed that India has adopted some kind of excuse and portrayed as if things don’t work out because of Pakistan’s response which is totally wrong notion as India is never willing to talk to Pakistan on any of the contentious issue. Pakistan in November 2019 opened the Kartarpur Corridor as one of the major step towards interfaith harmony and peace in the region where Sikhs living in India can visit Kartarpur in Pakistan to offer their religious duties. Recently a video on social media is getting viral where world can see how with the help of this initiative, after 70 years mother and daughter are united at corridor. It is not just one example of humanity but many through this opening of corridor were able to meet up their loved ones who were separated because of partition of sub-continent. Pakistan is always first whenever it comes to the rights of religious minorities and is always detrimental in taking steps for their welfare. On the other hand, recent wave of citizenship amendment bill and national registration in India speaks volume about India’s harsh steps towards religious extremism and ethnicity.
One good old time ingenuity was Samjhauta Express…. a train service between India and Pakistan was started with an initiative that it will be an effort to bring both countries towards normalization of relations. Apart from purpose of peace between both nations, the purpose of friendship train was to give ease to people of both sides who want to visit both countries easily and without troublesome travel. Prior to Samjhauta Express railway service between India and Pakistan was Thar Express but during the 1965 Indo-Pak war, railway track was destroyed. The train service was restarted after Shimla agreement and ran between Amritsar and Lahore. But because of security motives Indian Railways in past decided to terminate the service at Attari (a place in India), where customs and immigration clearances take place. The train starts its journey from Wagah border Pakistan and reaches at Attari in India.
Unfortunately this train service has remained victim of conspiracy often by Indian side instead of taking it as peace initiative. A terrible incident took place in the midnight of 18-19 February 2007 in which Indian terrorists planted the bomb inside train and on its way two compartments of the train were completely blown up. The train was steering from Delhi to Attari, the last border railway station on the Indian side when it was attacked near Panipat in Haryana. 68 people were killed and many other injured causing suspension of friendship train between two countries. Though one of the member of the RSS claimed the responsibility of this attack and accepted that hard core RSS followers are often mastermind behind such disturbances. Later this train initiative often came to standstill because of tensions between neighbouring countries. This train service is still suspended after Indian allegations on Pakistan after Pulwama incident and the recent uprising in India against Muslims. In past whenever possible, India created hurdles for Sikh pilgrims to visit to Pakistan by stopping this train service. That happened in year 2017 too, when on the occasion of Jor Mela India sent the train without Sikh yatris claiming some visa problems and security issues.
The plight of Sikhs in India is often highlighted as they are treated as low grade citizens and basic necessities of life are often squeezed on them in India. Obviously the demand of separate state for Sikhs in India or Khalistan issue is tried to be constrained through these tactics. Not only Muslims, Sikhs but Indian Dalits face trauma and have to pay a price for being living in India. India knows that minorities living in Pakistan have complete religious freedom and they are facilitated whenever there is any procession or sacred festival. Particularly every year number of times Sikhs visit Pakistan as they have their most Holy sites located here in Pakistan. Jor Mela’ is observed to mark the death anniversary of fifth Guru of Sikhism, Guru Arjan Dev who is believed to have been destined to be martyred for the Sikh cause. However, Indian authorities’ knew that this Jor Mela is important for Sikhs to maintain their identity and their Guru embraced martyrdom to keep alive Sikhism. Therefore they are always in search of elements to suppress Sikhs and their demand for Khalistan and rights of freedom in India. The Kartarpur initiative is also disturbing for India as they are unable to complete the corridor inside their territory and unable to cope up the resistance within India.
India has always tried to show its grimy nature against Pakistan where it leaves no stone unturned to intrude into matters. It often pokes into affairs of Pakistan by violating international laws. What to talk about the situation of Occupied Kashmir after 5th of August and the Indian Citizenship Bill since December, 2019, the situation inside India is quite alarming, where sane voices in India are on high pitch for the security of Muslims and other minorities living in India. How one can forgive India on uncontrolled firing across working boundary, off and on targeting civilians near LoC, year’s long denial of human rights and atrocities in Kashmir, tyranny of Muslims in India and constant renunciation of minority rights in India. India has shown to the world that it has no regard for humanity and human moralities are their least preferred agenda in affairs of state, yet Pakistan is always willing to extend olive branch in any form for regional peace and stability.
