Humans of Bombay, a Facebook page patterned along the lines of Humans of New York, recently shared a story of two friends separated by the border between Pakistan and India.
Their friendship started like any other when they first met in New York in 2003 through a mutual friend and though they have been friends ever since they never got a chance to visit each other’s homes until recently owing to visa issues.
Read: Love thy neighbour: Indian, Pakistani personalities speak with one voice
“So here’s the funny thing – we’ve been friends for over 12 years but never visited each other’s home. So this time I applied for a visa, went through a procedure of four months and finally came to visit her here in Bombay,” the Pakistani friend whose name has not been shared said in the Facebook post.
“I remember sitting on the flight here wondering what it would be like and I just want to say that it’s been amazing — all these divisions are in our mind. Another funny fact – it took me one hour to get from Karachi to Bombay but it would take me two hours to get from Islamabad to Karachi– we’re so close geographically but history has made us so bitter,” she added.
Photographed sitting along with her Pakistani friend on a sea front, the Indian girl said, “When I was studying in London, she came there to see a prospective boy for marriage and I remember going with her, hiding behind a pillar to see if he looked shady and waiting till her date was done. They ended up getting married, but I couldn’t attend the wedding in Islamabad because of visa issues.”
When asked what has been the highlight of their friendship, she said it was watching cricket together. “During the 2011 World Cup when Pakistan lost to India in the Semi Finals, I remember being upset and she was ecstatic but she still tried to make me feel better. We left for this remote island in Greece the next day, and because India was playing the finals — she made me roam all over this island trying to find a screen to watch the game. We finally managed to watch the game together…and if you’re wondering — yes, I supported India with all my heart.”
Read: Mere Saamne Wali Sarhad Pe: Uniting India and Pakistan through music
These two friends from rival countries are living proof that the division between the two countries is wholly artificial and despite the bad blood between the two, friendship could certainly flourish.
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