An Indian in Pakistan

by Navnit Talwar

During the Partition of 1947, Navnit's paternal family abandoned homes and businesses in Peshawar and Rawalpindi and fled to India while his maternal grandparents migrated from Quetta even as several family members continued to live in Kashmir. Raised in a Hindu joint family, he was fascinated by tales of pre-Partition life. A chance meeting with Pakistanis in London led to friendship between his parents and the Chaudhrys of Gujrat.
In 1999, General Musharraf launched clandestine infiltration into Kargil even as Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Vajpayee were talking peace. India responded with measured ferocity and all but ended relations with Pakistan. Thereafter, General Musharraf staged a coup and exiled Nawaz Sharif. In 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks, terrorists struck India's Parliament. India and Pakistan mobilized their militaries. Embroiled in the war in Afghanistan, the Americans extolled restraint. Musharraf banned jihadi groups and legitimized his position as President and Army Chief. Indo-Pak relations began to normalize. After the 2002 elections, Chaudhry Shujat led PML-Q's Mir Zafarullah Jamali became Prime Minister while Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi became Punjab Chief Minister.
In January 2004, Mr. Vajpayee visited Islamabad, announced general elections and approved a cricket tour of Pakistan. Chaudhry Shujat invited Navnit and Balbir Punj, convener of BJP think-tank. The trip coincided with the cricket ODI in Lahore. The BJP-led NDA lost the elections and Ms. Sonia Gandhi nominated Dr. Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister. Meanwhile Sindh and Waziristan were rocked with violence. General Musharraf asked Prime Minister Jamali to quit and Chaudhry Shujat held fort until prime minister-in-waiting Shaukat Aziz's election to the National Assembly. Navnit visited Pakistan yet again and a surprise visit to his ancestral home in Peshawar unfolded. Just before Navnit's departure, Nawaz Sharif's interview in India Today ruffled feathers in Rawalpindi. General Musharraf asked Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujat to rebut and Navnit arranged the counter-interview.
Chaudhry Shujat visited Delhi in March 2005 at Ms. Sonia Gandhi's invitation. He met BJP President L.K. Advani and invited him to Pakistan. Chaudhry Shujat proposed Mr. Advani launch the restoration of a temple during his visit and asked Navnit to see its suitability; it was found to be unsuitable. Mr. Balbir Punj then asked Navnit to visit Katasraj, ancient temples closed to pilgrims. Chaudhry Shujat got the approval for Mr. Advani with the missive "we shall build your temples even as you destroy our mosques". During his visit Mr. Advani inaugurated the Katasraj project but his statesman-like speeches and praise of Quaid-e-Azam's secular ideals enraged Hindu nationalists. He resigned as BJP chief, changing the course of India's destiny.
A desire to unravel his family's past and friendship with the Chaudhrys frequently took Navnit to his ancestral land. Navnit unravels various facets of Indo-Pak relations, the Kashmir imbroglio, jihadi groups, water disputes and trade. He explores the unrest in Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Sindh and Waziristan. This is Navnit's travelogue super-imposed on pages of the country's history and polity unknown to most Indians; first-hand impressions of an Indian in Pakistan.