Why Pakistan and India Must Learn to Live Together

Few have there been nations throughout the history of this world that have been so culturally similar, but so far apart in terms of dialogue and stability. Pakistan and India live side-by-side, but find it hard to do so ever since both became independent in 1947.

For centuries, Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs were one and managed to live in harmony in one India, until the British Tea Company intelligently took over and divided the nation forever. Religion was something that always diversified the people of the subcontinent, but in terms of living, language, way of life and interests, there were many similarities.

With over 60 years gone since the historic separation, Pakistan and India have fought multiple wars, fought countless times on the international level and still do so over the issue of Kashmir, but they fail to realize the potential that exists if both learn to live together.

Pakistan and India are both nuclear equipped nations and have some of the best armies in the world, but that is not the solution to any of their problems and the entire world realizes that. Both nations face a number of issues on various levels; from poverty to hunger, unemployment to an energy crisis, the problems are huge and can only be solved if they learn to take advantage of each other’s strengths and help to overcome weaknesses.

India leads in the field of IT and is a large and upcoming economy in the world, while Pakistan enjoys being located in an highly strategic position, making it extremely useful in terms of trade and building bonds with nations on the other side. Pakistan is also a leader in the agricultural sector with many untouched natural resources and treasures, which are yet to be explored and can benefit from the highly technical capabilities that India possesses.

Another major issue is national security and the constant threat of terrorism. Due to the political tensions between one another, Pakistan and India are facing severe consequences by fighting individually against extremist organizations that have begun affecting the two on a major level now. Externally, enemies of the two are easily able to capitalize on their political distance as they play the blame game after each incident.

In recent years, Pakistan-India relations have reached new levels as trade has begun to open up and travelling between the two has become much easier and common now. With democracy beginning to thrive in Pakistan for the first time as the country gears up for its first transition of civilian setups, it could mean better relations in the longer run.

Neighboring countries of the two also play a major role in deciding the fate of their foreign policy as China has a more forward thinking approach towards Pakistan while Bangladesh sides with India. Iran and Afghanistan also have the potential to deciding how two countries react to separate situations, which goes to show how far they are in terms of understand each other, despite being so close geographically.

While Pakistan and India may not be able to live in complete harmony all the time, their governments need to realize the fact that the productivity level would be much higher if the two nations begin dealing with each other as two friends. Giving each other the status of ‘Most Favorite Nation’ is one way to go about it to show to the international community, but to actually implement it is a whole different side of the story.

From manufacturing to innovation and business opportunities, Pakistan and India have limitless capabilities in the field of automobiles, technology, agriculture, energy and basic necessities. Sports are another field in which the two nations can maximize revenue generation as India and Pakistan cricket matches are some of the most watched around the globe, with field hockey also being another major sport of the two.

There may have been some incidents between the two countries in the past that just seem unforgivable in nature and people who continue to advocate hate for the other side to this day and age, but in the end, no one benefits from the fighting and constant threat of being attacked.

People on both sides of the border yearn to see better days and hopefully, that time will come when Indians and Pakistanis will be working shoulder-to-shoulder and strengthening Southern Asia.

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Posted by Syed Hassan Bokhari on Dec 7 2012. Filed under Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.