Pakistan, as a friend of mine said, is not moving but limping. Badly bruised by tribal turbulence and Taliban terrorism, Pakistan’s image in the outside world is tarnished as a hub of Islamic terrorists. But in reality, Pakistan is not what some media try to portray. Barring sporadic incidents in tribal areas and hinterland, most parts of Pakistan are peaceful, safe and secure. This is the impression I got during my week-long trip to three cities of Pakistan—Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.

Pakistan is a new country born 61 years ago following the agreed partition of India under the midwifery of colonial Britain. Divided on religious lines, Pakistan was created a country of Muslims and India of Hindus. People living in both parts of the undivided India were given free choice to live in either of the two newly created countries. Most Muslims chose Pakistan and the majority of Hindus opted for India. However, there are still millions of people who did not chose their country on religious lines but continued to live where they were living. As a result, there are more than 100 million Muslims in India, which has a second largest Muslim population in the world. Similarly, some Hindus are in Pakistan but their number is small.

These two siblings—India and Pakistan— have more in common—rivalry, animosity and hatred—than friendship and love to offer. They fought wars over territorial disputes. However, there is little animosity between the two peoples. During the interactions with cross section of the people, many Pakistanis showed greater degree of goodwill for the Indian people. In fact, Pakistan and India is a family divided. So many families have remained divided. Members of the same family live in two sides for various reasons.

Indians are our brothers and sisters. Indians and Pakistanis are bhai-bhai, said Akamal Farat in Lahore. But the problem is with the politicians, bureaucrats and military top brass. These people are reaping benefits from the conflict and rivalry between India and Pakistan. The general people have nothing to do with it. Many Pakistanis, especially in the border areas, would love to cross the border, meet, hug and chat with the Indian people and ordinary Indians may also feel the same. But the problem lies with the politicians, rulers and armies not with the people.

Although Pakistan as an independent country was created only 61 years ago in 1947, its history goes back to thousands of years. Pakistan is home to Sindh, Moenjodaro and Harappa civilizations that existed more than 5000 years ago. It is a country with a proud history, rich culture and majestic natural beauties and also the meeting point of three great mountain ranges—Himalayas, Hindu Kush and Karakoram. To add to its natural wealth, high mountain peaks stand guard and fantastic glaciers pour unprecedented beauty and attractions. The mighty rivers like Indus, Chenab, Jhelum and Ravi flow through the length and breadth of Pakistan serving as the life line of the 8.5 million population.

We were six Nepali journalists in the group invited by the government of Pakistan. Our trip had been tightly scheduled in three cities—Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. The first leg of our trip was Karachi where we arrived from Kathmandu on PIA which has five days a week direct flight between Kathmandu and Karachi.

Karachi is a port city and commercial hub of Pakistan. It is also the provincial capital of Sindh— home province of two Pakistani political icons—Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Julfikar Ali Bhutto. Right after partition, Karachi served as the capital of Pakistan, but later shifted to Islamabad. With the modern hustle and bustle, Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan, offers more of an economic prowess than cultural and historical values. The contribution of Sindh province in general and Karachi in particular is more than half of the total GDP of Pakistan.

The next leg of our trip was Lahore, a historical and cultural city of Pakistan. Lahore is a typical South Asian city full of life— fecundity of human crowd, traffic congestion and pollution—much similar to Kathmandu, New Delhi, Dhaka and Colombo. The bicycles, rickshaws, three-wheeler autos and smoke-emitting vehicles plying on the streets, honking horns and puffing dust and smoke add more spices of the South Asian urban life. The teeming Anarkhali market is yet another entertaining experience, which gives you the feeling that you are at home. As soon as the sun sets, life comes to the fullest in this market, where buyers and sellers engage in tough bargaining. The 40 degree Celsius temperature does not seem to deter the people and life goes on as usual in this common people’s market.

Lahore is a deep rooted word in Nepali folk culture. It is still common in Nepali tradition that one who goes abroad for work is called a Lahoree. It is more for those who serve in Indian or British army. It is not known why Nepali people serving in Indian and British army are called Lahorees Probably, when the British started recruiting Nepalese in their army during the colonial era, the Gurkha recruits were first sent to Lahore for initial training before being posted for duty.

During my Lahore trip, I got an opportunity to watch the flag lowering ceremony at Wagah, the only point that has a road link to cross into either of the two countries. One part is Amritsar of India and Lahore is in the Pakistani side. At exactly 5:30 in the evening every day, a special function is organized, which, for a stranger, looks as though these countries are preparing for war and soon going to launch a deadly assault. A huge crowd had gathered on both sides of the Wagah border to watch the drama-like flag-lowering ceremony. There is a huge iron-gate separating India and Pakistan. Little further on both the sides were the stadium-like seating arrangements which were jam-packed with people. On either side, the respective country’s soldiers parade with the flags of their respective country. On the Pakistan side, the ranger battalion was shouting slogans like "Love Live Pakistan" and the crowd would echo back. Similarly, on the Indian side of the border, the Border Security Force personnel were staging a similar drama. They would often say raising high the tri-colour "Bharat Mata Ki Jaya". The crowd would follow suit. But, troops on both sides are strictly prohibited to say any kind of slander and provocative slogans against one another. The drama-like ceremony looked provocative but it was a routine entertainment. In the meantime, soldiers exchange newspapers of their respective countries, shake hands, lower and finally wrap up the flags ending the ceremony with high-profile melodrama.

Apart from this, Lahore is the epicenter of Mughal art and architecture. Most of the landmarks of Lahore were created and constructed by Mughal rulers right from Babar to Aurangjeb. The Mughals came to India and ruled for over 400 years— the period is better known as the golden age in terms of art and architecture in India and Pakistan.