A bird’s eye view picture of Wagha Border went viral on social media. The border that separates India and Pakistan is temporarily closed at the moment due to rising political differences. It lies in Wagah town on the historic Grand Trunk (GT) Road between Lahore and Amritsar. The village served as a terminal for goods transport between two countries. This picture shared by photographer Shiraz Hassan on Twitter has made people on each side of the border thin once again how far they are due to a political boundary despite being so close.
Aerial-View of Wagha Border Shows How Close Amritsar and Lahore Are?
Amritsar is technically 32 miles away from Lahore; the cities never seemed inseparable before 1947 (the year when the British divided the sub-continent into two). Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs lived in harmony in both cities which were a part of the Indian state of Punjab. Everyone had deep links with both the cities. Twitter users who saw this picture shared the memories of their grandparents talking about these cities.
There were calls for (as they are from those who still condemn the partition) to remove the border which provides the basis of the conflict between the two nations.
It’s been 73 years since the British left sub-continent after dividing it into India and Pakistan. The division in fact laid the foundation of hatred between people from each side on a political level to an extent that it resulted in three wars and a never-ending cold war situation. No wonders, why there are folks on either side of the border who curse the history for being so cruel.
There were more concerns from citizens who perhaps want integration in a way that it bridges the gaps and closes the distance.
Some people still hope that the citizens of India and Pakistan lived together. They are of the opinion that the border cannot divide the two nationalities. The division was most likely pushed by the politicians for their political gains. Then they continued to spew venom against each other in order to promote hate between Indians and Pakistanis.
A Pakistani journalist shared that he crossed the border twice. The picture reminded him of that adventures journey which can also answer the question of ‘how to cross Wagha Border’, if anyone wants to know.
Anger In The Face Of Forced Separation
There were some more critical opinions too about the history and historic figures. Perhaps, it is only the situation created before the last few decades of partition which is to be blamed.
So, this is the politics and not the people who are responsible for all this division. The question is politics is done in the name of people for the sake of people; if so, then who got the people wrong?
The most painful part was probably that the Hind region was divided in the name of religion. A divine law which was supposed to promote peace between nations became the very reason for their enmity. Social media users have long condemned military establishments on both sides for creating unnecessary differences. It may keep them busy in earning money but it can take the country backwards.
Attention Towards G.T Road
It seemed like that the top part of the picture is Amritsar and the below part is Lahore, divided by the well-lit border. The user noted that the GT road is surrounded by a huge commercial complex in Pakistan and as well as India
People have never praised GT road so much that they did after looking at this picture. This grand highway centuries old and spans over 2300 miles. It starts from Teknaf in Bangladesh, heads west to Kabul in Afghanistan, before passing through Chittagong and Dhaka in Bangladesh, then Allahabad, Kolkata, Delhi, and Amritsar in India. After that, it enters Lahore, crosses Rawalpindi, and terminates at Peshawar in Pakistan.
Many people were hopeful that these countries will solve their differences and open borders once again.
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