The Indo-Pak visa liberalisation agreement is most welcome
By Sheeba Hasan
The wedding of Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza had recently brought the subject of Indo-Pak marriages, and its related logistical troubles, into focus; but it’s an issue that has been relevant to many for decades. The 1947 partition of the Indian sub-continent divided thousands of families, including my own. My father’s five brothers and two sisters migrated to Pakistan in the subsequent years. My father, a die-hard Indian and an equally staunch secularist, chose to stay in India. He was a celebrated sportsman of his time, and only had good things to say about his country and its people, despite not always agreeing with the policies of the government. From him, early in life, I acquired the wisdom of viewing the state and society separately. I may not like a country’s foreign policy or certain players in its establishment, but this does not necessarily make that nation or its population my enemy or hate-worthy.
Some major twists in destiny later, I found myself on the other side of the border. A little before my 20th birthday, I had to give up my blue Indian passport for the Pakistani green. At that time, the decision was dictated purely by circumstances, not choice. Subsequently, travel to India became my worst nightmare. Visiting my father and brothers was reduced to an annual treat due to cumbersome visa formalities. Though my experiences with the Indian embassies and consulates have always been pleasant (and I am deeply grateful for their helpfulness), the processes nevertheless have been tedious. Limited entry and exit points in India; three-city visit restrictions; police reporting and filling a special form for Pakistan nationals at the airport (while holding everyone up in the queue behind you) have all posed inconveniences at different times.
My worst experience of the visa restrictions was not being able to reach my dying father in time because I had to waste precious hours on getting multiple copies of the lengthy forms and documents in order, without which a visa application cannot be submitted. And, of course, I couldn’t fly directly to Kolkata because travelling by air I could only enter India through Delhi or Mumbai.
Meanwhile, many years and some more twists in destiny later, I now have an Indian husband and two children who have blue passports too. It has been over 20 years since I acquired citizenship of Pakistan. Trips to India are more frequent; but through it all the visa-travel formalities have remained unchanged. So, quite understandably, I have eagerly awaited the signing of the Indo-Pak visa liberalisation agreement. I was not alone. Several relatives and friends have had cross-border marriages and we often bond over our experiences of visa-related misery, anger, anxiety, hopelessness, helplessness, hope and happiness.
But right now I feel sheer joy; and relief. The new visa agreement, formalised earlier this month, promises to ease our travel troubles. As per the agreement, as the spouse of an Indian national I am now entitled to a two-year multiple visa to India. I can also visit more cities.
I am also happy that the Pakistan government is taking the initiative to improve ties with India; and, of course, with India’s response to it. I can’t agree more with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Hina Rabbani Khar, when she says that the younger generations do not carry the baggage of history. As one of probably few people from my generation who has lived on either side of the border, both as an Indian and a Pakistani, I know many others who share this sentiment.
There are cynics and hardliners in both India and Pakistan who think and want otherwise, but fortunately I don’t know any of them. Though a Pakistani, my Facebook friends list has more Indians than Pakistanis, and at a people-to-people level, nationality has never been an issue among us. I was made to feel most welcome and comfortable when I joined a prestigious college in Lahore, days after migrating from India. The questions about India were positive; and there was immense warmth. I feel the same warmth when I now connect with my Indian friends or talk to random strangers during my visits to India. There’s curiosity about Pakistan, and sometimes a difference of opinion or even a heated argument, but I have never experienced animosity or hostility. Surely a lot of us do trust and respect each other. We all want to be friends and move forward in the best manner possible, without history as a hurdle. It’s good for regional stability, for the economies and internal peace of Pakistan and India, and, of course, for thousands of people like me who genuinely wish well for both the countries.
I am often asked who I support during the India-Pakistan cricket match? Putting it simply, I am a Pakistani with a soft corner for India.
Sheeba Hasan is a writer based in Dubai.