Dharmendra Jore Column: Reaching across a hostile border

Some bonds will never break because they are not bound by any digital device but are held together by the hearts and souls from both ends One such bond is that of Karachi resident Hameed Haroon He and his family share a strong bond with Mumbai Strained relations between New Delhi and Islamabad and crossborder skirmishes do not affect their love for the people of Mumbai in particular and India in generalHaroon says he isnrsquot the only one yearning for this brotherhood There are countless others in both countries who want to share their joys and sorrows with people on either side of the border But not all are as lucky as Haroon a media magnate heading Karachirsquos Dawn Media Group who gets to visit India frequentlyIt was this common concern for peace between the neighbours that had brought Haroon to Mumbai last week to collaborate with likeminded people who want to make a difference to IndoPak relations at the grassroots levelActivists expect PM Narendra Modirsquos surprising stopover at Lahore to boost their efforts to usher in peace Most importantly they see the development as an opportunity to bring their respective citizens together Haroon was immensely happy because the PMrsquos visit to Lahore happened the day when he was advocating IndoPak friendship in MumbaiAn emotional Haroon said that his late mother had wanted Indian filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt to attend her burial He described how a few religious fanatics in Karachi opposed Bhattrsquos presence ldquoMahesh flew to Karachi immediately after receiving the sad news and some people objected to his presence during the actual last rites I simply told them that Mahesh was my motherrsquos son and she wanted him to be at her side when she was laid to restrdquoPartition survivors and their kin recall unfortunate incidents that had unfolded after the splitting of united India The narration is a mix of tales of gory bloodbath and humane stories of Hindus saving the lives of Muslims and vice versaHaroon told us a touching story over a cup of tea at Mumbai Press Club ldquoMy mother took at least 500 Hindus under her wings when the riots broke out She offered them shelter at our home and ensured that all of them were put on a boat to Indiardquo he said adding that India too had similar stories in which Hindus saved Muslims only because they shared a human bondMumbai and Karachi mdash the sister cities having so many common features between them mdash have been making efforts to bring their respective citizens closer Significant chunks of people from both sides trace their blood relations to either sideHindus and Muslims from both sides want hasslefree travel between the two cities But they do not get visas easily and even if they procure one somehow they are forced to undergo direct and indirect screening by authorities from both ends Do they really need to face such trials The answer should be a firm negative The credentials of tourists should not be deemed suspicious unless proven soMumbai and Karachi have been interacting with each other for long through initiatives taken by the Mumbai Press Club and its counterpart in Karachi The two have started an exchange programme under which delegations travel to either side A similar effort called lsquoMumbaiKarachi Friendship Forumrsquo was launched by the Observer and Research Foundation ORF and Dawn Group of Publications last week in Mumbai A series of events such as Marathi Festival and Mumbai Festival both in Karachi are planned next year Mumbai will host the Karachi Festival at the earliestHaroon harbours yet another dream He wants Karachi to host a boatful of residents from Mumbai preferably with a group having relatives in the Pakistan port city Mumbai should reciprocate the gesture he says adding that he would name the vessel lsquoBoat of FriendshiprsquoMumbai letrsquos say Amen to thatDharmendra Jore is political editor midday He tweets dharmendrajore Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycom