Bus to Peace
By K. V. Prasad

AS soon as the special Indian Airlines Airbus ferrying 150-odd media personnel to cover the historic bus ride of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee touched down at the Lahore International Airport, many people aboard it clapped.

The applause was both for the gentle manner in which the big bird was made to gently kiss the tarmac as well as the fact that it signalled a new turn in Indo-Pak relations, which had nosedived nine months ago after both the countries conducted nuclear tests.

It was late afternoon when the media contingent with a sprinkling of senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs reached Lahore ( last Friday), a day ahead of the scheduled arrival of the bus on its inaugural run from Delhi.

Being a closed day in Pakistan and relatively less hectic, most media persons decided to explore the city and feel its pulse. And as a group of correspondents walked through the famous Anarkali Bazaar, heads started turning. The presence of women correspondents quickly became a subject matter of discussion among a group of roadside vendors.

‘Aap logon ko dekh kar hamne sharth lagayee thee aapas mein. Ek ne kaha yeh to idharhi key lagte hain, auron ne kaha yeh Indians hain’’ (We had a bet among ourselves. One person said they look to be from these parts, while another said no they are Indians), disclosed Moin Hussain to The Tribune correspondent who was in the group. The give-away was the attire of some members of the group, he said. And guess what was the bet ? Tickets for the latest Pakistani film in town.

After this, it was a long chat full of warmth. The discussion centred on the bus ride. "There is hardly any difference between us. No one can make out which side of the border one belongs to," Hussain concluded.

There were different shades of opinion about the visit and its likely impact on the relations between the two countries. While the issue of Jammu and Kashmir was close to their heart, most people yearned for relaxation of travel restrictions and saw the bus journey as another step in this direction.

Of course, technically, the bus ride to Delhi from Lahore would be more expensive. As per the estimates made by the Pakistan side, the cost of the ticket would be in the region of 950 Pakistani rupees. Travel on Samjhauta Express between Amritsar and Lahore would cost around Rs 150.

However, that is another problem that may get sorted out since the bus ride would be a cheaper alternative to the otherwise only other link — the Pakistan International Airlines flight connecting the two cities.

In fact, the special chartered flight also in a way was re-operation on an old route which Indian Airlines suspended nearly a decade ago.

In the run-up to the main event next day, the Indian High Commissioner, G. Partha-sarathy, briefed the media contingent about what could be expected and also hosted a dinner to which scribes both from India and Pakistan were invited. The gesture was reciprocated by the Jang group of newspapers the next day, this time the extra-large Indian media contingent had swelled to 180.

By Saturday, the excitement was at a feverish pitch. To ensure that the huge contingent from India, which included many foreign correspondents, reached the Wagah border, 27 km from Lahore, the entire team was transported in buses armed with special security passes issued by the special branch of the local police.

The deadline to reach Wagah for audio-visual units was a good five hours before the scheduled arrival of the bus. It was slightly later for those from the print media.

Having taken their positions, most media personnel could not resist trying to locate their colleagues who were covering the event from the Attari side. Instructions from the Pakistan Rangers though were clear: No talk across the border and no leaving the enclosure earmarked for the media. Any violation was handled with firmness. The dividing line that Sir Cyril Radcliffe had drawn on a map could be experienced first hand at the ground level. The Wagah-Attari checkpost and the white line stood between them and us.

Ironically, the mild breeze on an otherwise sunny and clear day carried the fine medley of tunes played by bands on either side — Punjab Police (Pakistan) and Border Security Force (India) — across the border.

There seemed to be some kind of competition as "rival" bands started to play as soon as the other had ended its performance. If it was Ek Parcham Ke Saye Talein and Jive-Jive Pakistan on this side, the BSF tunes included Hamein Seema Suraksha Dal and the latest Hindi film songs.

As the appointed hour approached, necks started turning towards Attari and the sight of the golden-hued bus only added to the excitement as it rolled from the Indian side into Pakistan.

The Ashok Leyland bus took some 30 seconds to slide into Pakistan and immediately the time zone changed. With India being 30 minutes ahead of Pakistan, the watches needed to be reset.

After the ceremonies, Prime Minister Vajpayee and his Pakistan counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, flew to Lahore in a helicopter for official engagements. The goodwill delegation continued its journey to Lahore in the bus after a brief break.

Vajpayee had a series of engagements after his arrival at the Governor’s House, where he was staying. It included a visit to Gurdwara Dera Sahib, adjacent to the 16th century Lahore Fort. He also took time off to visit the memorial of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, climbing the stairs at night.

At the official banquet hosted inside the Fort, Vajpayee recalled the history of the palace, where Mughal Emperor Akbar, who built it, lived for a decade and where Shahjahan was born.

The spread at the banquet was lavish and the setting brought out the splendour of the location. Good music added to the ambience.

If Vajpayee quoted a verse of the 11th century poet Mas’ud bin S’ad bin Salman: Shud dar Gham Lohur rawanam Yarab! Yarab! Ki dar arzu-e anam Yarab! (My soul goes out in longing for Lohur, O God! How I long), Nawaz Sharif quoted from Vajpayee’s poem Ab Jang na hone denge (We will not allow war).

Outside, the police was engaged in a pitched battle with the supporters of the Jamaiat-e-Islami, who held a demonstration in protest against the visit of the Indian Prime Minister.

The banquet itself was delayed on account of the demonstration and violent reaction, which led to the police lobbing teargas shells and firing in the air. The protests, which started on Saturday morning, continued till late at night even as heavy security operations was mounted to ensure a smooth passage to the convoy of the Prime Minister.

Lahore, specially the area around the Governor’s House, was turned into a fortress and access was severely restricted. It was relaxed a wee-bit for the civic reception hosted on Sunday evening (February 21) in honour of Vajpayee.

Vajpayee was at his eloquent best. Speaking in Hindi, he clearly touched the hearts of the elite of Lahore, who were invited to the function. The spontaneous response of the audience when Vajpayee was putting his oratorial skills to great effect was enough evidence.

Later, many among the gathering seemed to be in agreement with what Vajpayee had stated of giving ‘friendship’ a chance.

Vajpayee disclosed that there were some who were against his going to the Minar-e-Pakistan, a 60-metre high tower erected at the place where the All India Muslim League had adopted a resolution for the creation of Pakistan in 1940.

"People said my going there will cast my seal (of approval) on Pakistan. Does Pakistan require it? Pakistan has its own seal,’’ he said, adding that he was certain this could become an issue back home.

Yet, the impact of the statement was not lost. For a party (BJP), which has always talked of Akhand Bharat, the visit to the site which had resulted in Partition, conveyed a definite message. Partition had hurt, but the wound has healed. Only the scar remains.

Vajpayee then went on to add that while they were opposed to Partition, what happened is a reality, a fact of life. He proceeded to reiterate his oft-repeated statement, "We can change history but not geography. We can change friends but not neighbours. Let us start walking together".

That ended the official engagements which were followed by the ceremony of signing the "Lahore Declaration" and the Press conference. The journey back home had begun.

Once again, it was a special chartered flight for the scribes. This time, however, there were some add-ons. Many members of the goodwill delegation decided to fly back with the media contingent. It was past midnight when the plane winged its way back to Delhi. The cabin crew, which included former hockey forward Ashok Kumar (son of wizard Dhyan Chand), this time ensured that the entire plane-load of passengers had a piping-hot meal. That, too, in a short duration flight. Some exercise this.

As the flight made a touchdown at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, there was applause once again -- this time for the accomplishment of "such a long journey." As one member of the party remarked : "The goodwill delegation went by bus and returned by Airbus. So what if the media could not take the (Delhi-Lahore) bus? It took a special Airbus."