Urdu literature can tie India and Pakistan

India and Pakistan are two neighboring countries with an extremely interesting history. The two countries have been in war for more than once. However, the people of these two countries have very much in common. In fact, there are so many split families living gin both countries. It is extremely important for the families that their respective countries are on good terms. Without these, their interaction becomes too hard.

For the overall peace of the region too, the relations between the India and Pakistan should be of cordial nature. There have been many CBMs in the past, which worked. The Urdu language is common to both countries. Especially the urban population speaks in the Urdu language.

The Urdu literature can serve as a bridge between these two countries. Urdu is read and spoken in both countries and good literature can work wonders. For example, the Bollywood movies are extremely popular in Pakistan. The poets who write songs for these movies are the heartthrobs’ f the people of Pakistan. Whenever they write good poetry, the Pakistani people love it.

The case of Qurat ul Ain Haider, the famous Urdu novelist is the same. No single country can claim on her. She lived in India and Pakistan both. Her great novels tie the countries. A similar example can be of the famous Urdu short story writer Manto. Manto too lived in both India and Pakistan. So people from both countries identify with him.

We now need more open hearted writers to bridge the gap between the Indians and Pakistanis through literature.