Barbed wire keeps hearts apart
Mild lathi-charge by Pak Rangers
From H S Bhanwer
Tribune News Service

WAGAH (Indo-Pak border), Aug 15 — The "candlelight vigil" to promote Indo-Pakistani friendship at Zero Point here at midnight last organised by Mr Kuldip Nayar, eminent columnist and member of the Rajya Sabha, and his associates, including film actor-turned politician Raj Babbar and Gulzar, director of Hindi movies turned out to be a one-sided affair.

However, a group of Pakistani artistes and human right activists waved at them from across the border fencing. They also responded with the slogan "Hind-Pak dosti zindabad" during the Retreat ceremony.

Being the 51st Independence Day of Pakistan, there was heavy rush of Pakistanis to witness the Retreat ceremony. The Sutlej Rangers, Pakistani paramilitary force manning the international border, however, discouraged the enthusiastic Pakistanis from inching closer to the border Gauhar, a PTV artiste, was pushed back when she managed a hand shake with Indian artistes.

A mild lathi charge was reported on these Pakistanis from the other side, Mr Nayar, evidently at the "response" claimed he had seen a number of Pakistani artistes and human rights activists who managed autographs of Raj Babbar and Gulzar.

The BSF authorities did not allow a cultural programme near the checkpost this time. The programme was held outside the Immigration and Customs complex. Hans Raj Hans, popular Punjabi folk singer, and Raj Tewari, another folk singer, regaled the audience for about three hours.

The BSF authorities, however, allowed Mr Nayar, Raj Babbar, Gulzar and their colleagues, including Justice Rajinder Sacher, Mr N.D. Pancholi and Mr Dilbir Singh, president, Hind-Pak Dosti Manch to go till Zero Point at midnight to light candles at the iron gate on the Indian side. Some newsmen were roughed up by a BSF official.

Mr Nayar claimed that at 7 p.m., Pakistani artistes and human right activists in strength arrived at the border to reciprocate the gesture. "We will continue to light the candles on the border to promote Indo-Pakistani friendship and hope that they will also reciprocate by lighting candles on their side." He said he was in favour of people-to-people contact. "We succeeded in it to some extent this time."

Earlier, addressing the gathering, he said instead of indulging in an arms race, both India and Pakistan should resolve all issues amicably. Exchange of trade and cultural troupes should be encouraged.

In his brief but emotional speech, Gulzar said: "We have come to sow the seeds of flowers of friendship and spread these on both sides of the border."

Raj Babbar said: "Without caring for the "result", we shall continue in our endeavour to promote Indo-Pakistani friendship".

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta, Minister for Higher Education and Languages, praised the efforts by Mr Nayar to promote friendship between the two neighbours when certain powers on both sides were preaching hostility. Seven resolutions were adopted by the gathering, wishing the people of both India and Pakistan on their Independence celebrations and paying tributes to freedom fighters who fought imperialism as well as to lakhs of innocent persons massacred in communal violence on both sides in the wake of the partition.

The gathering regretted that India and Pakistan had not learnt any lesson from these tragic happenings, having failed to provide basic amenities to the people, the ruling class in both countries had been trying to "surcharge the atmosphere".

The gathering appealed to both India and Pakistan to resolve all pending issues, including Kashmir, amicably for peace and prosperity in the region.

Yet another resolution called upon both governments to liberalise the visa policy, especially for writers, artists, journalists and students. The meeting demanded opening of the Wagah land route for traffic and trade purposes.

Earlier in the evening, a seminar on national consciousness was organised at Guru Nanak Dev University.