Is It A Time For Integration?
By Aakanksha Mohan Sharma
06 December, 2009
Countercurrents.org
I was waiting for a taxi in a cold winter evening at queen's way priory stop in Birmingham city. The taxi driver called me. It was no doubt a British voice, an absolute British accent. The man on the phone asked, "Can you see me now?" I said, "No, I can see a taxi but I can not see you." He said, "Well, the man you are looking at is me" I asked, "Are you an Asian?" He said, "No, I am a British." Then after a pause he said, "Well, I am a British Asian."
After few moments I was in the taxi on the way to sally oak, a twenty minutes journey. "You said that you are a British when I asked you on phone!" I asked with curiosity. He said, "Yes, I am a British. However, my parents are Asian. They are from Pakistan." I said, "So originally you are a Pakistani." He looked into the mirror and said, "I am a British national and would not like to label myself a Pakistani. I was born and brought up here only. I do not like the heat. I love the breeze and rain all over the year. My family and friends are here. I love my home island."
After a brief silence, he told me that he could not speak his native language. "I visited my parent's home place last year. It is Mirpur in Pakistani administered Kashmir. It was tough for me to communicate with the people there. They laughed and said what would you do if these white people throw you out from their country one day?" I said, "Why would any body throw me out of my own country? I have a British Passport and I enjoy my life as any other British citizen." I said, "It means you feel more comfortable with English people than Asians?" He kept quiet for a while. He broke his silence with a word- "Paki." He said, "Some times they call me Paki.I was working in a company last year. They used to refer me as 'that Paki boy'. I do not like it. When they give me their citizenship, why do they call me by such names? However, it is fine. It is everywhere. It's not an issue I think."
He told me that he has some other issues with his identity. He said, "I am not originally a Pakistani. I belong to Azad Kashmir and as far as I know, it makes me a Kashmiri more than a Pakistani. I have never seen Indian Kashmir and do not know much about them. However, I know that there is a line of control, which divides people from both sides of Kashmir. That is stupid to divide people like this. Moreover, I know that India and Pakistan have fought four wars for this region. I do not know how the people who live on either side of Kashmir justify with their identities. I do not know much about Asian politics but I feel if they solve this most of their problems would be automatically solved." He asked me curiously, "What do people from Indian Kashmir call themselves- Indian, Indian Kashmiri, or just Kashmiri?" I said, "you can ask your self."
I told him that the friend whom i am visiting belongs to Indian administered Kashmir. We reached sally oak. I could see my friend waiting out side her home. He asked her what you call yourself. "She said, "I am a Kashmiri." He asked her again, "Indian Kashmiri?" She said, "No, I am just a Kashmiri." He asked her, "What Passport do you have?" She said, "Indian." She added hastily, "Well, I am a south Asian." He smiled, looked at me and said, "Isn't it better for me to be just a British rather than getting into a never ending confusion?"
This twenty- minute journey showed me the chaotic picture of Indian sub continent- An Imbroglio of identities, borders, citizenship, human relationships, politics. Kashmir is one of the most volatile territorial disputes of south Asia. The parties to the dispute are India, Pakistan, China, and People of Kashmir. India claims Kashmir as an integral part of India. Pakistan and China claims it to be a disputed territory. People of Kashmir are waiting from 6 decades to decide their destiny. Present distribution of land area controlled by India, Pakistan, and China is as 45.62 per cent, 35.15 per cent, and 19.23 per cent respectively.
I thought is looking towards European Union an answer to the problem? Is it a time for integration for sub continent? His taxi disappeared after a minute and this twenty-minute conversation ended with out any solution. Just as our political elites who never come with a solution do not matter, the conversation was for twenty minutes or for twenty years.
Writer is presently doing Masters in Political Communication from University of Leeds. She is currently engaged in a research, Kashmir under covers of democracy. She has worked as a journalist in Hindustan Times.
Email address-
[email protected], [email protected]
