India has medical facilities that are unavailable in Pakistan and are much more affordable than the West
ISLAMABAD: Tensions between India and Pakistan are becoming increasingly problematic for both the nations’ population. Recently, a Pakistani woman engaged to an Indian man has found it hard to obtain an Indian visa for her own wedding in the country. This particular example might be a rather simple one and skeptics may argue the two can tie the knot, perhaps, at another location. Although that argument in itself is flawed considering that one may not have the financial means to have a ‘destination wedding’, such an argument dismisses the severity of the problem.
India has medical facilities that are unavailable in Pakistan and are much more affordable than the West. As a result, many Pakistanis travel to India almost every year with their ailing family members to seek medical treatment. But escalating tension deprives them from obtaining this facility, leading to severe problems for the patients, along with psychological trauma for their families.
The leadership of both nations needs to put their political difference aside for the benefit of their populations. In 2017, it is hard to comprehend that such an intensity of rivalry still prevails. It has been almost 70 years since independence. It’s time we buried the hatchet.
Khalid Safdar
Published in The Express Tribune, July 15th, 2017.
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