State of paranoia

The interior minister’s remarks that artists going to India will require a NOC from are hardly reassuring.

The interior minister’s remarks before the National Assembly that artists, employees and students on scholarships going to India would require a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the government are hardly reassuring. They reflect the kind of paranoid mindset we very badly need to get away from, but Rehman Malik has indicated that the threat to integrity faced by the nation makes these changes necessary. Alterations are to be made in passport forms to accommodate the new measures.

This is not the first time we have heard from the interior minister about a threat from India. The issue has come up previously in the context of events in Balochistan and allegations that they were being orchestrated from across the border. Mr Malik — like other hawks in the country — apparently believes all evil stems from India. But even so, making it more difficult for people to travel to India seems grossly unfair. Even as things stand now, obtaining visas and meeting other requirements is no easy task. The singling out of artists and students seems to be an especially retrogressive step. Many artists have brought honour to Pakistan by winning a huge fan following in India — Junoon, Ali Zafar, Atif Aslam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan come to mind.

As for students, especially in certain disciplines, the opportunity to study in India should be encouraged, given the economic saving involved and the opportunity to learn at a high level. At a broader level, Pakistan desperately needs more interaction with India and Indians. The tightly closed borders between the two countries need to be opened up so that the damaging history of animosity between the two countries can be replaced by a more productive relationship which could help both nations combat terrorism and also benefit people on either side of a border that has stood closed for far too many decades, contributing to the damaging building up of distrust.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th, 2011.