KARACHI: In his stimulating talk at Karachi’s Habib University, Dr T. C. Raghavan, the High Commissioner of India in Pakistan, spoke quite exhaustively on History and Diplomacy: Contextualising India-Pakistan Relations.

Raghavan recalled the ups and downs of ties between the two countries, saying that the people of both countries seem to forget highs such as the signing of the evacuee property in the early years of Partition; the agreement on minorities; the agreements on banking and currency and more than anything, the signing of the Indus Water Treaty.

Elaborating on the last mentioned agreement, Dr Raghavan said the problem was extremely ticklish but it went to the credit of the representatives of the two countries that they worked out an agreement, which has stood the test of time.

Dr Raghavan, who holds a doctorate in Modern Indian History from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, said relations between neighbouring countries are almost always uneasy.

As examples, he said on one end of the spectrum were the volatile relations between North and South Korea and on the other end were differences on mutual relations between the US and Canada.

Dr Anjum Altaf, the provost of Habib University, conducted the programme and made some thought-provoking remarks. The President of the University, Dr Wasif Rizvi, and Dr Noman Naqvi, Dean Faculty of Humanities also made brief but highly pertinent inputs.