http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C01%5C11%5Cstory_11-1-2006_pg3_5
DT: It is said that the cantonments will help secure the area against subversive activities because of the threats from the former Taliban and the Al Qaeda.
**SSKM: **What nonsense. There are no fanatical Muslims in Balochistan. They are the most secular people in Pakistan.
Another incident comes to mind is of the first and only gay marriage in pakistan coming from baluchistan. Now whether it’s right or wrong is different issue but to allow this to happen in such a fanatically islamic society smacks of higher level of tolerance and secularism.
Now this indian MP visits Baluchistan and
Crossing borders, making history
****Indian MP says he has made the trip of a lifetime
**
*****By Kamal Siddiqi
**KARACHI: For Manvendra Singh, 41, member of the Indian parliament from Barmer (Rajasthan), it was a dream come true. As part of the 86-member Indian delegation (almost all male) that crossed over from India into Pakistan on Monday morning, history was made in a number of ways.
First of all, Manvendra was part of a pilgrimage that has resumed after a gap of about 60 years. Accompanied by both Hindus and Muslims from different parts of India, particularly Rajasthan and Gujrat, they were heading for the Hinglaj Temple in Lasbela district of Balochistan.
This historic temple, one of the oldest known in the region, is equally venerated by both Hindu and Muslim. For the Baloch, it is known as “Nani ka Mandir.” The Indian delegation pilgrimage once again raises hopes for thousands of devotees in India to make the trip if and when the Munabao-Khokhrapar border crossing is officially opened.
For the border crossing itself, it was for the first time since 1965 that people were allowed to cross over from one country to another - either by foot, by car or by train. Manvendra Singh, who had been dreaming of this moment for a very long time, also had the privilege of being one of two people allowed to drive through in his personal car into Pakistan. This again has happened for the first time in several decades.
The choice of people for the trip was apt. The delegation comprises a number of MPs, including Bharatendra Singh, all the way from Bijnor in UP. There is also an MP from Katch who has also come to plead for the resumption of the steamer service between Karachi and his area.
Asked to describe his feelings, the BJP MP has no words. “All I can say is that it is a dream come true.” A former journalist with the Indian Express and a Masters in Arabic History from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, this is not Manvendra’s first visit to Pakistan and yet it will be his most memorable.
Dressed in traditional Rajasthani clothes and sporting a colorful Pugree, he says: “I have been planning to come with my wife and kids for many years now but this could not happen for one reason or another. Now I have had the chance to make this historic visit only because we got special permission.”
Part of his family is with him: his father, Indian opposition leader and former external affairs minister, Jaswant Singh, heads the delegation while his brother, a hotelier by profession, is also with the group (he was driving a 4WD with Jaisalmer number plates).
On Tuesday morning, the group, accompanied by a posse of security persons, made their way to Balochistan. The whole idea of coming to Pakistan and making the visit to the Hinglaj temple is a goodwill gesture, maintain members of the delegation.
Manvendra Singh is also the national spokesperson for the BJP, the party on whose ticket he first lost an election in 1999 and then won a seat in 2004. For him, the trip has to be seen in three different contexts. “First of all, our arrival signals the resumption of an age-old tradition of visiting the Hinglaj shrine,” he says.
He then adds: “Then there is the fact that of all the borders that India has with its neighbors, the Rajasthan-Sindh stretch is the only one where it has not seen any problems of any kind despite the fact that there is a common population on both sides.” Such a border needs to be opened.
Finally, Manvendra says that as a politician, the opening of the border crossing with Pakistan is very important for him. “After water, this was the second most important demand made during the elections. This demand came ahead of asking for roads, hospitals and schools. So you can see how important it is for my constituents. I am now working to fulfill that demand.”
The trip from zero point to Karachi took about nine hours because of the overwhelming response the visitors got all the way. People have come out on the roads to welcome them and hundreds turned up at different points. “It was overwhelming,” says the MP.
The deputy high commissioner of India in Pakistan, T.C.A. Ragahavan, is also accompanying the guests.
With the crossing on Monday morning, the India-Pakistan border at Sindh-Rajasthan has once again been brought back to life. The potential for tourism through this route is immense if the two countries allow private vehicles to cross over in addition to the proposed train service, say many observers.