Most newspapers carried a photograph today, October 16, of India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar shaking hands with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad. Jaishankar is in Pakistan to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. This is the first visit by India’s External Affairs Minister in nine years and the first such regional coordination meeting between India and Pakistan since 2023, and the handshake is as such a significant breakthrough.
The past 10 years have seen a near-total breakdown of trade, travel, and diplomatic links between the two neighbours, with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting recently even blocking the release of The Legend of Maula Jatt, a much-anticipated Pakistani Punjabi film featuring Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan. The remake of the 1979 classic was set to be the first Pakistani film to be screened in India in over a decade.
Yet, amid this strained backdrop, people-to-people connections are thriving, particularly in the digital sphere. The recent discovery of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s long-lost album Chain of Light captured the attention of Indian audiences, serving as a poignant reminder of his enduring influence in the subcontinent and the cultural bonds that transcend political discord. (The collection emerged 27 years after the legendary Pakistani qawwal’s death in 1997.)
After the Paris Olympic Games, Saroj Devi, mother of Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra, and Raziah Parveen, mother of Pakistan’s javelin star Arshad Nadeem, warmly congratulated each other’s sons, much to the celebration of social media. While Pakistani cricketers remain barred from the Indian Premier League (IPL), matches between the two countries are still held abroad. Similarly, despite restrictions in each country, poets, writers, and artists collaborate internationally, forging connections that persist amid the political tension. And now, a new wave of peace ambassadors is emerging online.
Classical Urdu and Punjabi poets from the pre-Partition era remain popular on both sides of the divide, their legacy enduring despite the conflict. While the tradition of Indo-Pak mushairashas almost faded, poets from both countries participate in poetic congregations abroad or connect through online platforms, keeping the spirit of their shayaari (poetry)alive.
On May 24, 2017, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on the role of language professionals in connecting nations and fostering peace, understanding, and development, and declared September 30 as International Translation Day. In this context, both Punjabi and Urdu languages are helping evolve a cultural dialogue between India and Pakistan.
Several digital platforms and publishers in India are translating and publishing Urdu poets from Pakistan in English and Devanagari. Rekhta is one such platform. Noted author Rakhshanda Jalil recently translated a collection of Pakistani poet Zehra Nigah’s Urdu poems into English. The book, The Story of Eve, is published by Speaking Tiger.
Ayub Khawar, the Lahore-based poet, author, and television director who directed the TV serial Gulzar Classics based on Gulzar’s short stories, told Frontline: “As long as the language is being actively used, regardless of the mediums, it cannot die.”
Despite the fact that Punjabi is written in two scripts, Shahmukhi (in Pakistan) and Gurmukhi (in India), it remains a strong bridge between Punjabis on either side. In 2014, a Canadian $25,000 Dhahan Prize was instituted by a Canada-India education society for excellence in Punjabi fiction, giving a global stage for the language.
Over two years ago, the late Sahitya Akademi award-winning Punjabi writer Desraj Kali told this writer about publishers translating Punjabi literature and history from Shahmukhi to Gurmukhi and vice versa. Punjabi has also been an exception so far as cross-border literary conferences are concerned. A 53-member delegation of writers and intellectuals took part in the annual World Punjabi Conference in Lahore in March this year. They honoured Maryam Nawaz, the Chief Minister of Pakistani Punjab, whose ancestors belonged to Indian Punjab’s Jatti Umra village in Tarn Taran. She assured the delegation of promoting Punjabi to strengthen Indo-Pak relations. As Punjabi culture sees a revival, Maryam Nawaz has introduced Punjabi as a subject in schools across the largest province in Pakistan.
“During our stay in Lahore, it felt like a second home no matter where we went. Even people whose grandparents had migrated from Indian Punjab in 1947 treated us like family,” said Shiv Inder Singh, a Punjabi writer and editor-in-chief of the Punjabi portal Suhi Saver. He added, “The only complaint was that Indian authorities were not providing visas to Pakistanis who wanted to visit India.”
While the road and air links between India and Pakistan remain suspended since 2019, in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the BJP’s Amritsar candidate Taranjit Singh Sandhu, a former Indian Ambassador to the US, promised resumption of India-Pakistan trade via the Attari-Wagah land route. Observers feel the BJP leader’s promise was a manifestation of popular local sentiments.
BSF soldiers and Pakistani Rangers participate in the Wagah-Attari border ceremony on December 4, 2022. | Photo Credit: MOORTHY RV
When famous Indian Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala was murdered on May 29, 2022, his death was widely mourned across the border, according to Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry, a prominent theatre personality from Chandigarh, who was in Pakistan when Moosewala’s death was announced. She told this correspondent of the profound impact Moosewala had on Pakistani Punjabis. “They grieved over his death as if they had lost a family member,” she said. Months later in August, a viral video showed Indian soldiers dancing to Moosewala’s song, “Bambiha Bole”, apparently being played by Pakistani soldiers manning the border outpost at the Line of Control (LoC). The clip was posted on Twitter by Indian Police Service officer HGS Dhaliwal with the caption, “bridging the divide.”
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Likewise, vloggers on both sides of the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir have emerged as crucial cultural conduits for the Pahari and Pothwari-speaking communities. Despite the significant number of families divided by the de facto border, cross-LoC trade and travel between Poonch and Rawalakot were suspended in 2019, making digital connections all the more vital. Earlier this year, Kashmiri composer and singer Faheem Abdullah, along with Rauhan Malik, set to music a poem written by Amir Ameer, a poet from Pakistani Punjab. The resulting song, “Ishaq”, was produced by Artiste First, a company striving to reconnect communities through genre-neutral music.
Ban on artists
After August 5, 2019, when India revoked Article 370 which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan suspended diplomatic relations and bilateral trade with India. Earlier, following the Pulwama terror attack of February 14, 2019, the All-Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA), the Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association (IMPPA), and the Federation of Western Indian Cine Employees (FWICE) had passed a resolution, banning Pakistani artists from the Indian film industry. The cinema wing of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) issued an open threat to Bollywood filmmakers against recruiting Pakistani artists.
In October 2023, the Bombay High Court dismissed a petition aimed at legally barring Indian citizens and organizations from engaging with Pakistani artists, including actors and musicians. A division bench, comprising Justice Sunil B. Shukre and Justice Firdosh P. Pooniwalla, described the plea as a “retrograde step” and noted that art and culture transcend national boundaries and promote peace. The court pointed out that the proposed restrictions violated fundamental rights enshrined in Articles 19(1)(a), 19(1)(g), and 21 of the Constitution. When the ruling was challenged in the Supreme Court in November 2023, the apex court declined to entertain the petition.
The Legend of Maula Jatt was poised for release in the Indian state of Punjab through a collaboration between Zee Studios and Zindagi, a digital channel, currently airing Fawad Khan’s television serial, Barzakh. After the 2016 Uri terror attack, Zindagi stopped airing Pakistani shows. It has again syndicated content from Pakistan, besides Bangladesh and other countries.
Shailja Kejriwal, chief creative officer, special projects, Zindagi, from the Zee stable, emphasised cross-border collaborations in an interview with PTI in August this year. “My ultimate desire, I don’t know whether it will happen or not, is that we collaborate… writers and artists from both sides should be on a set together,” she said, adding, “Hopefully, we will be able to do something because we flourish more if we are open and inclusive.”
The past few years have seen the Punjabi film industry making several cross-border collaborations with Pakistani theatre and TV artists, but it is reported that they were involved in only films or scenes shot abroad. But the trend has moved to the music industry as well, with singer-rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh collaborating with Coke Studio Pakistan artists Wahab Bugti and Sahiban for his recently released musical album Glory. The actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh was praised in Pakistani media for inviting Pakistani actor Hania Aamir on stage while performing in London recently.
Famous Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala. When he was murdered on May 29, 2022, his death was widely mourned across the border. | Photo Credit: PTI
Supporters of both Indian and Pakistani celebrities are increasingly vocal against the notion of restricting artists. “India’s concerns about terror attacks emanating from certain forces in Pakistan are well taken. That said, banning Pakistani artists and films is not an effective way to counter that,” said Gurmehar Kaur, a Delhi-based radio broadcaster, vlogger, and peace activist. “Not only should both governments allow the screening of each others’ films but they should also facilitate collaborative work. It would enable a process of self-discovery and allow us to tell our compelling stories to the wider world.”
Kaur underscored the composite culture and shared history of the two countries. “We need to make a distinction between the people and the state. India’s relationship with Pakistan has always operated at multiple levels. Today, we are two different nation-states but still one desi civilisation. We share a primal bond. There’s a bit of Indian in every Pakistani and a bit of Pakistani in every Indian,” she said, adding, “Our people have always found enjoyment and meaning in each other’s creative work. Our pop culture is largely shared.”
YouTubers as peace ambassadors
Pakistani biker and vlogger Abrar Hassan saw his long-held dream come true last year, thanks to his German passport. A native of Nankana Sahib in Punjab, Hassan documented his travels through Kochi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Agra, Delhi, Chandigarh, and Amritsar. His engaging videos, which have garnered millions of views, showcase the profound warmth and hospitality he encountered along the way.
Similarly, Tehzeeb Hafi, a prominent young Pakistani poet has captured the hearts of audiences in India. In an interview with BBC Hindi last year, he remarked, “The majority of my supporters are from India. Their comments on my social media accounts reflect that perhaps they appreciate art more profoundly.” Expressing a strong desire to visit India, he added, “Despite numerous invitations, I haven’t been able to go. Given the chance, I would love to explore every Indian city I’ve seen in movies or read about in books.”
Many Pakistani vloggers are shining a spotlight on Hindu and Sikh heritage, showcasing native villages and remnants of ancestral homes belonging to those who migrated to India after Partition. These creators are not merely documenting; they are conducting in-depth research on heritage sites that testify to a history of pluralism.
A mud wall shelf adorned with Bollywood film star posters in a room owned by a cotton picker’s family in Meeran Pur village, north of Karachi November 23, 2014. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
Salman Rashid, a noted Pakistani writer, has posted several videos on important Hindu heritage sites. One video he recently posted shows the decline of Tilla Jogian (Hill of Ascetics), a significant Hindu spiritual epicentre believed to have attracted Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, who meditated there for 40 days in the early 1500s. Tilla Jogian is said to have flourished during Mughal emperor Akbar’s rule. But it was looted and destroyed by the Pashtun king Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1748. Although restored by Sikh Maharaja Ranjit Singh, it fell into ruins again after 1947.
Folklore, as written by revered Punjabi poet Waris Shah in 1766, tells of Ranjha who, after being separated from his beloved Heer, became a disciple of Guru Gorakhnath, the founder of the Kanphata (pierced ear) sect of Jogis, at this site. The legend is popular on both sides of Punjab with Heer and Ranjha attaining the status of Sufi mystics. Their tomb in Pakistan’s Jhang holds a sacred place in many hearts.
Interestingly, there is a surge of YouTubers in Pakistan who produce content aimed at dismantling entrenched prejudices against India. While some observers attribute this pro-India trend to economic motivations—highlighting India’s vast 692 million internet users compared to Pakistan’s 87.35 million—the reality is more nuanced. As the virtual world continues to evolve, these YouTubers are not just creating content; they are forging pathways for understanding and empathy across a deeply fractured landscape.
Vlogger Nasir Dhillon, for instance, is dedicated to helping Partition survivors get emotional closure. Dhillon’s family migrated from Panjgarh village in Tarn Taran, East Punjab, to Lyallpur district in West Punjab in 1947. Growing up, he was immersed in the poignant stories of Partition recounted by his elders. “My grandfather cries on August 14 (Pakistan’s Independence Day) each year. But this generation remembers the day differently, they celebrate it, which rubs salt on the old wounds,” Dhillon said in a recent podcast.
In collaboration with his friend Lovely Singh, Dhillon has documented over 1,000 Partition-related stories on his channel, Punjabi Lehar, which boasts 786,000 followers. “Punjabi Lehar is striving to bridge the divide between the people of East and West Punjab, a rift created by the Partition of 1947,” his channel says, adding that many people have died with unfulfilled desires to see their birthplace and reconnect with childhood friends. The channel’s aim is to fulfil the wishes of the remaining Partition-era Punjabis. Punjabi Lehar claims to have facilitated over 100 in-person reunions, especially after the historic opening of the Kartarpur corridor in November 2019, ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.
The late poet and lyricist Nida Fazli, who chose to stay in India while his family migrated to Pakistan, poignantly addressed the absurdity of the religion-based partition. After visiting Pakistan, he reflected on the similarities between the two countries in one of his ghazals. He drew on the metaphors of Mughal-era Urdu poet Mir Taqi Mir who, like Mirza Ghalib, is celebrated in both countries, to beautifully capture the deep yearning between people separated by a political border:
Uthta hai dil-o-jaan se dhuan donon taraf hi,
Ye ‘Mir’ ka divaan yahan bhi hai vahan bhi!
(Smoke rises from the heart and soul on both sides,
Mir’s poetry lingers here as well as there.)
