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November 15, 1999
Quetta to Dalbandin
We are almost out of Pakistan; tomorrow we will reach the border and
enter Iran. We have all had a great time in Pakistan and would like to
come back and spend some more time. Unfortunately our timing was less
than perfect and we have been the victims of tension between politicians.
Two days ago rockets were fired at the U.S. Embassy and yesterday was the
deadline for Afghanistan to hand over Osama bin Laden to U.S. officials,
so we have been at the mercy of our armed guards. These guys are great,
very friendly and hospitable, but we have not been as free as we would
have hoped to see more sights of Pakistan. Yesterday morning we hoped for
an earlier start, but after some red tape we finally got started at about
1:30pm. I must admit it was kind of nice to sit around. We were not able
to go anywhere while we waited, so we were forced to soak up the beauty
of the hotel garden. We began the morning with peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches and Pakistani tea, we later moved on to mango ice cream and
water. While relaxing we were able to catch up on some journal writing
and reading, I played guitar and generally milled about.
While having time to think I began to think of the similarities
between Pakistan and the United States. I was surprised to find so many.
Geographically they are very similar, although the United States is much
larger, each country has a very diverse landscape. Pakistan has several
large mountain regions. The North West Frontier Province is home to the
Karakoram Range which has several peaks rising over 8,000 meters,
including the famous K2. The foothills are heavily forested in contrast
with western mountain ranges, Chagai hills or the Suleiman range, which
are rocky and dry. The center of the country is home to the Indus valley,
one of the oldest known civilizations. The Indus River is dammed and this
is a major agricultural area. In the far west there is an arid plateau
which melts into the Iranian border. The Bolan Pass, which is found just
to the east of Quetta is the gateway to the sub continent and is and has
been of great strategic importance. Also like the United States
Pakistan's population is made up of very diverse people. Pakistan has major
borders with Iran, India, China, and Afghanistan and has been influenced
by all of them. Possessing the gateway to the subcontinent it has seen
many conquerors, hosting some and swallowing others. The western Plateau
and desert melts into Iran and is home to many nomadic herders. It seems
as though the natural boundary between Asia and the Middle East runs
straight through western Pakistan. The province of Baluchistan is the
center of this meeting and is famous for its lawlessness and hospitality.
I would image that many nomadic societies would often be labeled as
lawless as it is hard for a government to control a population that is
constantly in motion.
India is found on Pakistan's east border and if we were to dig down to
the roots, India is Pakistan's closest relative. At one time India,
Pakistan, and Bangladesh were one country, however, upon independence
from Britain in 1947 political groups were split, largely upon religious
lines, Hindus and Muslims, and the once friendly groups could now no longer
find common ground. The biggest difficulty in the split was where to draw
the line between the Islam and Hinduism. The Punjab was the logical
answer to this boundary question. In the past the Hindus and Muslims had
gotten along, proof of this is shown in the fact that pockets of both
religions once peppered the area. So in 1947, any line to be drawn would
inevitably place many people on the wrong side of the line. As a result
there was a great migration following the drawing of the line,
unfortunately tempers turned into mobs and mobs turned into death squads.
Before the dust had settled thousands had been killed and the open wound
still has not healed. As an Americans we do not have to look too far in
our history to understand this kind of hate, the horror of our own civil
war which turned family against family is all too real. Pakistan is home
to many different types of people, just like the United States, and
tensions between ethnic groups are not uncommon. The Mohajirs are an
ethnically diverse class of people that came from India as a result of
the previously mentioned massive relocation. Many of these new commoners
were well educated and took many of the white collar jobs from the people
who had lived there before, this is not a real good recipe for good
relations, and tensions are trying to be worked out. How much does this
sound like the U.S.?
All the previous is to say the United States and Pakistan are very
diverse, ethnically and geographically. Our countries both reap the
benefits and suffer the consequences of these characteristics. Perhaps
understanding the similarities between the two countries can benefit us
both as we seek to find solutions to problems that confront both of our
nations.
Now back to the days adventures, as I said earlier our driving day
began at about 1:30pm, after the escort had been collected we had over
600km to go to the border and driving at night is never recommended.
Needless to say we did not make the total mileage, but we made it as far
as Dalbandin. We were crossing the Western Pakistani desert, which was
very dry, as we expected. Jeff made the comment. "Doesn't Luke
Skywalker live here?" which was totally appropriate. We also
wondered if this is what Mars looks like, Rocky peaks and sandy valleys.
I half expected to see Lawrence of Arabia on the hillside, are we all
programmed by Hollywood? We drove until well after dark and decided to
stop at Dalbandin. We all had been nervous since today's journey took us
within 50km of Afghanistan and Dalbandin was not all that much further
than this. We stayed at a government rest house that was so new that the
plumbing nor electricity was entirely finished, the price was right ($2 a
night), we knew we couldn't make the border, and we were all tired. We
had dinner, sitting on a mat, at a local place. Our dinner consisted of
naan Pakistani bread) and a spicy chicken sauce, in which I am not sure
of the name. We are all fans of Pakistani Cooking including the cat which
watched our every bit, and I must say was rewarded for his patience!
Today was another good day and I am thankful we are still safe. Until
next time this is Todd signing off.
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