Across the Wagah: An Indian's Sojourn in Pakistan

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As I entered the Royal International Guesthouse on the Seventh Avenue in Islamabad Karim Meghji, its proprietor- manager welcomed me with a namaste. I was about to greet him with waleikum asalam expecting him to welcome me with asalam aleikum. I had practised the Islamic greeting asalam aleikum- waleikum asalam mentally for several days before reaching Islamabad. The Lahore-Islamabad flight of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was delayed by half an hour. By the time it reached Islamabad it was nearly midnight. Col. (Retd) Aziz-ul-Haque, Secretary of the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS or the Institute) to which I was affiliated for my research project, received me at the airport with a handshake. Hence my practice of Islamic greeting proved futile at least on my first day in Pakistan.

I had entertained the idea of going to Pakistan for several years, but I never could imagine that my desire would ever be fulfilled and even if it did, that I would spend as many as five months in Pakistan. Few people travel to Pakistan from Mumbai, though Mumbai-Karachi connection is old. Kutchhi-Gujarati Muslims and Sindhis do travel to Karachi even today for trade and commerce or to meet separated relations. I do not belong to either group. My curiosity about Pakistan was purely academic and getting an opportunity to go to Pakistan from Mumbai was rather difficult. I have observed that university and college teachers, journalists and researchers from Delhi cross the boundary fairly often and with greater ease.