Trucks across borders

Small step to normal relations with Pakistan

Trucks bearing Indian tomatoes crossed into Pakistan on October 1 through the
Wagah-Attari border crossing, an event that calls for applause,considering that such a crossing
had not occurred for 60 years between India and Pakistan.
This developments heartening despite the fact that the border porters on the Indian side of pelted stones t the trucks as they passed into Pakistan in what can best be described as a rite of passage,and despite the fact that on the other side,the reception was somewhat lackluster.

Going by the scenes of joy witnessed in the Indian side,with the Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal himself enthusiastically flagging off the tomato-laden trucks,evidence of a similar enthusiasm was sorely lacking on the other side.Under the arrangement that has been approved,trucks will now be permitted to a designated point and thereafter unloaded.
This looks like a very modest development but in the Indo-Pakistan context
it is a more a measure of the ever
so incrementally growing engagement.

For long India has been pushing the case that people to people contacts and economics
should be the main drivers of the engagement.Pakistan had long been reluctant to accept this thinking, contending that resolving outstanding issues of political nature would lead to quicker resultsin the economic sphere.Now it is apparent, even though our neighbour is heavily
pre-occupied with internal turmoil,New Delhi's argument has found some purchase.

The potential for full-blown trade with Pakistan cannot be understated.he official figure is nowhere close to the real- but unofficial -figure that is well over $2 billion.This is the trade that is routed through third countries.The situation is additionally complicated by the fact that,
although India has conferred on Pakistanthe Most Favoured Nation status,
Pakistan is reluctant to return the favour.
As a result only a limited number of items can be importedfrom India via the Attari route,
one of which is obviously tomatoes.There is now expectation that trade throughthe land route will go up many times through this simple expedient of allowing trucks to plyt he route for about five hours every day.
At some point,these small steps will begin to add up.Admittedly,though there now exist bus services across the Line of Control, the response has come down in terms of the
number of passengers using the service, for example between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad.
This could well be because the travel procedures,including permission, are cumbersome enough to seem like a deterrent.