Pakistani cricket fans arrive
By Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 31 — In the changed political scenario the man made barriers that divide India and Pakistan were lowered once again as a strong contingent from Pakistan arrived on board a special train at the Chandigarh railway station amidst tight security, warm hospitality, crackle of laughter and handshakes here tonight.

The train, carrying a total of 1023 visitors, including 65 women and 32 children , chugged in a little after 10 p.m., almost two hours behind schedule. The guests from across the border spoke fluent Punjabi even making the welcome party of the Chandigarh Administration led by the Deputy Commissioner, Mr M. Ramashekar, wonder if the persons enquiring about a thing was an Indian or Pakistani.

The women accompanying them added the much needed glamour that would be evident , on and off the field, during the one-day match between the two neighbours scheduled for tomorrow at the neighbouring SAS Nagar.

A common refrain of the visitors was "bahut maza aa raha hai ji hindustan pahaunchkar." ( We are overjoyed at reaching India). Mohammad Haroon , a businessman from Lahore said: "I just do not understand this issue of making of bombs and differences between the two countries. The entry of visitors should be allowed more freely." He departed saying "Aab aap ke bari hai udhar aane ki" (Now it is your turn to visit Pakistan)

A majority of the visitors are from Lahore and they could be seen making enquires about what could be taken back for their families and what to see in Chandigarh.

The last three coaches were way behind the raised platform as the train halted according to the markings of the Shatabdi. Two handicapped persons, Mr Khalid Javed, from Lahore and Mr Ayub Jameel had great difficulty in disembarking from the train. Mr Javed was in a wheelchair.

The visitors were received by a flower each while the Chandigarh Police hung banners," Welcome to brothers from Pakistan" as they manned 20 registration counters to enable the guests to register themselves in the city. Policemen in khaki as well as civil clothes, led by newly appointed SSP, Mr Ajay Kashyap, could be seen answering questions about accommodations and other facilities. The registration process for the entire contingent took an hour.

A total of 25 CTU buses were put to service to ferry the visitors to various destination in Chandigarh. The Administration had already reserved about 100 rooms. Preference for hotel rooms would be given to women and the men accompanying them, said Mr Ramashekar.

A contingent of the Chandigarh police, headed by Mr S.C. Abrol, DSP, Lines, had gone to the border to accompany the train on its way to Chandigarh. Meanwhile several UT employees have been requisitioned for special duty to welcome the visitors at the station.

Hostels of various schools have been reserved to provide stay in batches, thus the movement of the guests is easily facilitated under security cover. Meanwhile, sources in the civil administration said officials of various intelligence agencies are working over time to keep a tab on anyone trying to create disturbance in view of the visit that is been watched with keen interest on both sides of the border.

Border opens for Pak cricket fans
From Varinder Walia
Tribune Varinder Walia

WAGAH, March 31 — For a moment, Indian and Pakistan seemed to be one when the gates of both countries opened simultaneously to facilitate the entry to India of 1000 cricket lovers, who have come to watch the semi final cricket match at SAS Nagar tomorrow.

The bus passengers were in a festive mood and held up a banner which, in Devnagari script, read, "Na Hindu na Muslim par han insan" (we are neither Muslim nor Hindu but human beings). Hindi dictionaries and newspapers were reportedly consulted to find appropriate Devnagri letters to write the banner in Hindi.

This trans-border trip comes in the wake of the bus diplomacy launched by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee last month, when the land route between the two countries was opened to the public after a long gap of 20 years. It was in 1979, when a large number of people from Pakistan had entered India through the Wagah border.

Most of the cricket lovers had bought tickets on the black market for up to Rs 10,000 to have a glimpse of Indian cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar.

Abdul Aziz, who is known as 'chacha' among cricketers and is often seen on television waving the Pakistani flag during matches, seemed happy to alight in India. He said East and West Punjab were one as they had a common culture. Sports and cultural festivals would definitely promote Indo-Pakistani relations, he felt.

Tariq Aziz, a middle-aged person, promised to reach Wagah border on August 15 this year in response to the candlelight vigil planned there by Indians. Visa and all other restrictions should be removed to promote 'heart-to-heart' relations between the people of India and Pakistan, he said.

Kasib Parveen, a middle-aged woman of Indian origin, got emotional when she entered India along with her husband, sisters-in-law and other family members. "See my country and countrymen and their hospitality. No one bothered to give us a glass of water before entering India, but the people of my country have offered you cold drinks and snacks," she pointed out to her husband.

Sehzad Hamid, a resident of Khaja village, entered Wagah with a letter by his father in the name of the SGPC. The letter read that the fresco paintings at Gurdwara Baba Atal, Amritsar, were done by his father, who was an arts teacher in a school at Mahan Singh gate in 1934-35. The letter further said that 'his name should be recorded in history as the fresco paintings were made with a lot of effort'.

In an interesting sidelight, Ifthar Anjum Bhatt, a resident of Lahore, started quoting famous couplets by Pakistani poets, expressing concern over the division of India in 1947. He said his forefathers were from Jalandhar city and would always remember the days spent in India. They were allotted that house in Pakistan where famous Indian cine star Manoj Kumar was born. He had come here with his wife.

Kashyap Salim, a resident of Maridke (Lahore) Village, has come to India just to see his neighbour, Imran Nazir, who would play in the cricket match tomorrow.

Sayad Nadim Ahmed, a telecom, employee, who has come to India along with wife Sabia, daughter Nahia and son Jahan Beg, called for better relations between the people of both countries.

Seventy-year-old Mehmood Ali was overwhelmed by the hospitality of the Indian people.

Some of the Pakistanis carried a placard that read. 'Vajpayee teri balle balle', referring to the bus diplomacy of the Indian Premier.

Razia Sultana, a resident of Lahore, said that for her India and Pakistan were one. 'I have my parental house in India while I am married in Pakistan.

The cricket lovers from Pakistan reached Wagah by 15 special buses. They were taken in special buses to Attari border (Amritsar), from where they left for Chandigarh in a train. They would be provided board and lodging free of cost.

Hussainiwala awaits opening
From Amar Chandel
Tribune News Service

HUSSAINIWALA: Now that a bus service between Delhi and Lahore has started on a regular basis via Wagah, there is widespread anticipation in the Ferozepore area that the Hussainiwala border too will be opened soon. There is no official word but the buzz in the corridors of power is that an opening is round the corner.

Logically, such a step makes a lot of sense. This route to Pakistan will not only be a little shorter; the Delhi-Ferozepore road is also far less crowded than the Delhi-Amritsar one. The route will be preferred by people of Kasur, Sahiwal and Multan on that side of the border and in the Ferozepore, Abohar, Fazilka areas on this side.

Ferozepore will, of course, be the biggest beneficiary. It was a prosperous town when there was a lot of trade with Afghanistan via the Hussainiwala border. This land route was thrown open to passenger traffic after the 1965 war, which used to pass through Attari (Amritsar) earlier. In 1968, at least 71,710 persons went to Pakistan via this border and 85,768 entered India. In 1969, the number of those going out rose to 96, 449 while 94,652 people came to India.

Huge quantities of dates, grapes and pomegranates used to be imported. But the gates have remained shut after the 1971 war. Ferozepore is barely 10 km from the border and hardly anyone has dared to set up an industry here after the war. Dealing in farm produce sustains the town. There are a large number of rice shellers around.

Old milestones pointing to Lahore with distances shown in miles can be seen at several places.

Things are said to be quite similar in Kasur, 9 km from here, on that side of the border. The opening of the border can revive their economy. The bridge on the Sutlej was destroyed in the 1971 war to stop the advance of the Pakistani forces. This has now been replaced with a temporary link to reach the Hussainiwala border and the "samadhi" of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru. As far as railway traffic is concerned, it has remained abandoned right since Partition.

While reopening may be only a hope at the moment, there is a sudden revival of interest in the flag-lowering ceremony, which takes place at the border every evening. There has been a marked increase in the number of visitors from far-off places. According to Mr M.P.S. Sandhu, Deputy Commandant, BSF, stationed at Hussainiwala, as many as 3,000 persons come now on Sundays and Fridays. Unfortunately, the visitors’ gallery can accommodate only 400 persons. The rest have to either stand craning their necks or face the disappointment of entry refusal.

This shortcoming rankles within because the Pakistani side has made much better arrangements for its visitors. It has developed lawns on the road leading to Hussainiwala up to a distance of 800 metres whereas our side does not have lawns measuring even 50 metres. In fact, Pakistan has developed its green stretch tastefully on the lines of the Shalimar Gardens, complete with fountains. It has also installed streetlights up to 1 km.

And there is more. It has erected a majestic gate at the border, besides setting up cafeterias etc. Naturally, a visit to the border has become quite a tourist attraction, what with women outnumbering men at times (without a burqa in sight). The feeling among the BSF personnel is that we should have similar — if not better — facilities.

The flag-lowering ceremony here tends to be more impressive than that at Wagah because of the difference in the locale. While at Wagah the square behind the gates of the two countries where Indian and Pakistani flags fly is divided into two rectangles, here the dividing line cuts the square into two triangles and the visitors of the two sides are virtually at a hand-shaking distance. The elaborate ceremony is admirably well-rehearsed and is almost a martial dance. There are deft cobblers who take special care of the shoes of the jawans. The force with which the iron-clad shoes hit the tarmac fills the hearts of the visitors with patriotism on both sides but plays havoc with the soles.

Facilities are meagre for the BSF jawans. About 20 guards are posted there but the guard room can accommodate only 10. The rest have to either use the beds of those who stand on sentry duty or spend the night in a foxhole dug under the supporting pillars of the guard room. Surely, these gallant men deserve better conditions to keep their morale high.

The hair-trigger "hostility" is reserved for the evening parade when the posture of the respective jawans give one the impression that they are going to go for each other’s throats. But in reality, there has been a perceptible lowering of the tension during the recent months. It is not unusual for the dignitaries visiting the border to be allowed to cross over to this side and shake hands with the jawans of both sides. On March 29, when we visited Hussainiwala, not only pleasantries but also sweets were exchanged. Insiders tell us that it is not uncommon for the Pakistan Rangers to set up a table right there at the dividing line and play cards with the BSF jawans.

But old suspicions remain. There was some tension recently when Pakistan raised an earthen mound ostensibly to set up chairs for visitors. This could have been used for defence purposes too. When the Indian side objected, the project was abandoned without much rancour.