FOR India and Pakistan, it is guns, and not dialogue, that must fall silent. In a positive move, the first people-to-people contact since the May clashes between the two neighbours has recently taken place. On Tuesday, over 2,000 Indian Sikh pilgrims set foot on Pakistani soil via the Wagah border to participate in Baba Guru Nanak Dev’s 556th birth anniversary celebrations. In the past six months, India had restricted Hindu and Sikh devotees’ travel to Pakistan. The latter country, however, has issued 2,150 visas for the 10-day festivities, displaying a mature approach. The remnants of Buddhist, Sikh and Hindu history are embedded across Pakistan. There is little choice but to agree that civilised nations, despite their bones of contention, function on the principles of mutual respect and regard for a common heritage.

The BJP-led dispensation’s politics of majoritarianism is finally losing its sheen due to governmental failures in India. Sadly, ordinary citizens on either side, particularly divided families, have been held hostage to hard-line aspirations, and the resultant friction, for far too long. This has damaged India’s image under the shadow of Hindutva, and hindered progress. Given the present tensions, goodwill through trade, entertainment, sport and cultural diplomacy may be hard to achieve. But course correction can begin by promoting religious tourism, especially as sites held sacred by Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus are found on both sides of the border. Public diplomacy lowers temperatures and breaks down barriers that prevent collective prosperity. So far, India is adamant about playing politics over visas for Pakistanis. But Pakistan should continue its support for people-to-people contact, keeping it separate from the age-old problems that plague the two countries. Reviving the travel economy with an overhauled regulatory and official framework will promote pluralism, regional harmony, and socioeconomic growth, and build a rich cultural milieu. Above all, it will defuse war lobbies in both countries.

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2025