RECENTLY, a public notice issued by the University Grants Commission of India has been reported and discussed in print media and widely circulated on social media as well in Pakistan.

Through this public notice a ban has been imposed on Indian students seeking admission to Pakistani higher education institutions. As an educator, I am alarmed at the implications of this ban and the thought process behind it.

It is a known fact that the two countries have many outstanding issues. These issues can only be resolved through bilateral understanding. We can achieve this understanding a bit more swiftly if we agree to educate our youth to develop some common ground.

What better way to achieve this than to open the gates of educational institutions of the two great nations for each other’s students. The two neighbours are here to stay. To borrow a partial quote from a well-known writer, history, if it has taught us anything at all, has taught us that well educated neighbours are able to solve their differences much easily, without bickering or blundering. Let us be those neighbours.

Saheeb Ahmed Kayani
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2022