Opinion | In Hong Kong, we see Pakistan-India hatred for what it is
- An Indian journalism student meets a fellow student from Pakistan and finds that when living in a land far away, borders hold little meaning
“As an Indian, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the words India-Pakistan?”
For a moment, I was at a loss for words. I barely knew Abdul. We had only met a few hours back at an event organised by the South Asian Society at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), where we are both students. The queues for food at the event were long and both our groups of friends decided to head out to look for dinner together.
As we walked the streets of Kennedy Town for food options that met our shared “spice-centred” taste buds, I told Abdul it has always been a dream for me to see Pakistan.
He paused, confused by my answer. “Really? For you, a journalist, I think it will be difficult to fulfil that dream.”
I could understand his curiosity. We have both grown up seeing hate messages for each other’s country. They are everywhere: in the newspapers, on television, on the streets.
For me, it is a different story. My grandmother, a refugee, had lived in Sargodha – now a fast-growing city of about 650,000 people in Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province – before lines were drawn between India and Pakistan in 1947.