From recent developments, it seems that steps are being taken in South Asia to slowly put an end to a long-standing rivalry. If you haven’t yet figured it out, the rivalry I speak of is none other than the one between India and Pakistan, two countries that have seen extreme bloodshed in the past. Signs of peace have slowly been shown by both countries in the recent past, and it is also clear from the way the developments have been taking place in the recent past. One of the main issues of late that has helped place both countries on the same side is terrorism. Just a few weeks back, though termed unofficial, the visit by Asif Ali Zardari, President of Pakistan, to the famous Ajmer Sharif Shrine in Ajmer, Rajasthan, is believed to have influenced the relations between India and Pakistan. An example that shows that the visit was more than purely personal is that it was after this visit that India reduced the restrictions on the Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) coming from Pakistan and vice versa. It is widely believed that the lunch hosted by Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, was the arena of political discussions though neither of these countries has confirmed or denied it. Though it’s a bit early to say, looking into the series of developments that have taken place over the past few months, there are positive signs for the people of both these countries that they are heading towards a bright future. The developments at the recently held Nuclear Summit in Seoul suggested that Mr. Zardari and Dr. Singh were interested in a one–to–one talk to bring peace between the nations, and this was immediately seen to be taking effect when Mr. Zardari announced his visit to India. During the visit, it was clearly visible that the leaders of both countries were interested in going that extra mile to sort out the differences.

Following Mr. Zardari’s trip, it seems that Dr. Singh plans to visit Pakistan officially later this year, before which the external affairs ministers of India and Pakistan are expected to have several rounds of talks. The talks are expected to cover a wide range of issues, from reducing the armed forces across the border between Indian and Pakistan to Jammu and Kashmir, the troublesome Indian state, which shares its borders with Pakistan and has been the point of tension between the two nations right from the day they secured their independence from the British. As one Hindi saying goes, “Delhi abhi bahut door hain,” which means that the goal is still too far away. Though these two countries have a lot of issues that need to be sorted out, it is still noteworthy that these two leaders have taken a positive step towards the establishment of peace. As one of the millions of people belonging to these countries, I wish to see these two nations at peace and in harmony with each other.