Pakistan's culture is extremely vibrant and progressive, but you wouldn't know it because your media doesn't talk about it. Pakistan also has a vibrant economy, good people, hospitality, ethnic diversity just like India etc. Pakistan is surrounded by Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, China, India on its borders. This brings a lot of diversity. We are the Mecca for Sikhism, we have all their holy sites here, including the birthplace of Guru Nanak, Nankina Sahib. We have a small, but very resourceful Christian and Hindu population here, with their Churches and Mandirs all intact, with the right of full freedom of practicing their religion freely, as well as reserved seats for minorities in the government, and even the army. Pakistani people are full of resilience, most people want amicable relations with India. Even though India has threatened our country's integrity in the past, we view them as a great country, we are not shy of hiding our admiration for some of the things India has done. India must not be shy of doing the same, but for that you need your media to be free and impartial about Pakistan.
My mother is actually from Patna, she had never lived in Pakistan or even visited it before she was married. My dad was born in Khujwan village, but he moved to Pakistan in 1947. I have been to India twice, and I have a deep admiration and respect for the places where my family lived (and still lives) in India, namely Bihar, Jharkhand, UP. But I was also very sad when I visited those states when I went there. Both India and Pakistan have lost a lot since 1947. I completely agree with SRK, we need to appreciate each other as 'great neighbors', powerful countries and regional powers, forget the ghosts of the past and look to the future. Pakistan has moved past its ghosts of 1971, we admire Bangladesh today and we consider them to be our brothers. We admitted our faults for 1971, Musharraf made a public apology in Dhaka when he went there. India must move past the ghosts of 1947.
(cant believe the author mentioned India). Who needs enemies when you have "friends" like that.
