Opinion Piece- Beyond Partition: Imagining an India-Pakistan Friendship

[Krptonite]

I've grown rather concerned that people have stopped calling me racist slurs around here. So, in an attempt to rectify this unfortunate development, expand my vocabulary of creative swear words, and generally demonstrate just how tone-deaf I can be, I'd like to propose a thought experiment: what might the normalisation of relations between India and Pakistan eventually look like, why do I believe it is a possibility rather than an impossibility, and what could the two countries potentially achieve through such a relationship?

I'd like to explore this through four questions:

1. Why do I believe normalisation is eventually possible?

My starting point is that hostility between nations, however deeply entrenched, is rarely a permanent condition. Geography doesn't change, generations change, economic priorities evolve and national interests are recalibrated. What seems politically inconceivable today may become a pragmatic necessity tomorrow. What historical, economic or generational developments could eventually make this possible?

2. What would the economic relationship between the two countries look like?

India and Pakistan have developed largely separate economic ecosystems despite their geographic proximity and shared commercial heritage. What happens when Indian capital, technology, manufacturing scale and consumer markets interact with Pakistani industrial capacity, agricultural potential, workforce and geographic position? Could both countries unlock opportunities that neither can fully realise independently?

3. What happens to the strategic equation of the subcontinent?

Imagine India no longer viewing Pakistan primarily through a security lens, and Pakistan no longer organising a significant part of its national strategy around counterbalancing India. What happens to defence expenditure, regional connectivity, access to Central Asia, relations with China and the Gulf, and the geopolitical standing of South Asia?

4. What would our children's generation inherit?

This is perhaps the most interesting question to me. Would Indians and Pakistanis eventually be able to travel freely, conduct business, study and maintain personal relationships across the border? Could two distinct national identities coexist with a recognition of shared history and cultural heritage? What might the subcontinent look like after 30 years of peaceful competition rather than perpetual hostility?

This is, of course, just a thought experiment, and I'm under no illusion that everyone will share the premise. By all means, poke holes in it, challenge the assumptions, disagree with the arguments or bash the entire proposition to smithereens.

 

[Krptonite]

1. Why do I believe India-Pakistan normalisation is eventually possible?

My starting point is fairly simple: I don't believe hostility between nations is a permanent condition. Political circumstances change, generations move on, economic priorities evolve and national interests are recalibrated.

I see four reasons why India-Pakistan normalisation is a possibility worth considering.

1. Geography

India and Pakistan aren't going anywhere. They are neighbours, share borders, water systems, environmental challenges and considerable historical and cultural connections. They will continue to exist alongside one another for generations. Surely, there is a long-term incentive to find a more constructive way of doing so.

2. Political evolution

The political leadership and priorities of both countries will change. What is politically inconceivable today need not remain so in another decade or two. History has shown us that even deeply antagonistic relationships can evolve when political circumstances and national interests change.

3. Economic pragmatism

Both countries have enormous development ambitions. India wants to establish itself as a leading global economic power, while Pakistan has significant economic and industrial potential to realise. I find it difficult to imagine that the opportunities arising from greater economic cooperation will never outweigh the benefits of maintaining the status quo.

4. Generational change

Every successive generation inherits the history of its predecessors, but not necessarily their priorities. The aspirations of younger Indians and Pakistanis increasingly revolve around economic mobility, education, employment, entrepreneurship and quality of life. I wonder whether future generations might eventually place greater value on the opportunities of cooperation than the grievances of previous generations.

Ultimately, I don't believe India and Pakistan are destined to become friends. I simply don't believe they are destined to remain perpetual enemies either.