Karachi Korner
Feb 2013
It’s my second trip to Karachi in two months and nothing has changed on one hand and everything has on the other. Almost every Pakistani I met was friendly and even more so when they realized I was Indian. This was true in December as well. The folks at immigration, the mobile phone kiosk owner who gave me his phone to make a call, the front desk staff at the hotel reception who upgraded me a to a larger room, the guest services manager who organized to purchase a new toothbrush for me, the many old and new staff at my office who welcomed me with a smile and bid adieu with gifts and an open invitation to return and finally to the immigration official as I was leaving who was so pleased when I told him that I had had a good time and encouraged me to apply for a SAARC visa the next time that would allow me to come repeatedly with no restrictions – each one of them were wonderful ambassadors of the warmth of the Pakistanis and their special affinity for India and Indians.
At work, I fit in very easily and not for one moment felt like an outsider. Enjoyed meeting folks whom I have got to know over the past six months and immediately connected with a few newcomers. Not to forget Sohail, my old colleague and friend with whom I caught up with after a while. Hanging out with him and his lovely wife Zeinab was terrific.
The majority of the people in Karachi have emigrated from India (or their fathers had). It was amazing to hear almost every one I met, from the officer driver to the CEO volunteering stories about their roots in India. This community of “immigrants” first referred to as Muhajirs (in a derogatory manner) are now strangely called “Urdu Speaking.”
But, much had also changed in two months. The killings across Pakistan have gone up considerably. Two bomb blasts within a month targeted at the minority Shia community in Quetta has left the country shocked. I arrived barely 24 hours after the second blast and the mood of almost everyone I met was somber. It was almost as if someone had taken a big blanket and dampened the enthusiasm that I saw barely two months ago. For the first three days that I was there, there was palpable tension in the air emanating from a sense that “anything can happen anytime.” The situation calmed down after that.
But as one of my colleagues, Dr. Laila put it….”we are resilient people and hopefully we will get over this phase as well.” Muslims are killing other Muslims. Pakistanis have realized that internal religion based terrorism is the biggest security threat to the country. What has appalled all is the leader of the terrorist group that has taken responsibility for both the blasts in Quetta (with promises to do more damage in the future) is free and openly taunts the authorities to take him into custody. The government is seemingly ineffective with elections around the corner and hence no hard decisions are likely.
Pakistan is bearing the repercussions of having created a culture of guns and war since its inception. Like in South Africa, it is so very evident to me, that any society that has violence in any form as one of its foundations, cannot simply escape its consequences. Unfortunately, the poor and vulnerable are the ones who are most affected. I hope my fellow Indians and others really recognize this important lesson, particularly when some talk of us needing to become more aggressive! The moral high ground and vision of Gandhiji and the other leaders of the newly born India in 1947 to build a society with non-violence and secularism as key building blocks must be acknowledged and lauded. All too often, many of us pooh pooh them without realizing what could have been. As the good book says “only when you know darkness can you appreciate light. “ Well, I have certainly seen the darkness.
I wish more Indians have the opportunity to experience the warmth I have enjoyed in Pakistan. Unfortunately, many of us have a negative impression of Pakistanis in general.
I sure hope that the situation in Pakistan improves. Indeed it is very much in India’s interest that it does. But, more importantly, I wish for stability there for the driver who said he is not sure whether he will return home after leaving every morning!
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