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A visit to Lahore would not be complete without a
stopover at the Wagah border crossing with India. The changing of the
guards and the flag lowering ceremony on either side of the border
have become a tourist attraction as both countries try to outdo each
other in the precision of their troops' drill. It's real entertainment
repeated daily accompanied by the necessary chanting on either side an
vocal support from the spectators.
The reciprocated expulsions of Indian and Pakistani diplomats from
each other’s capitals in February followed months of key political
developments in both countries. Pakistan has returned to some form of
formal democracy, however flawed, and the religious right in India has
made more worrying gains at the ballot box. But it seems that nothing
has changed in the countries’ steadily deteriorating ties.
Given this state of affairs, where in-vective and distrust
characterize bilateral relations, it is worth pausing for a moment to
remind those in power in both countries that they will only do as well
as their relationship with the other country. The India and Pakistan
of today have been shaped more by their mutual relationship than any
other single factor. This relation-ship has been sour at best, and
hateful at worst. But it is this relationship that will determine to
what extent any force in Indian or Pakistani politics – be it the
military, the religious right, or maybe even the people – is
successful
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