WAGAH – Midway between the two great cities of the Punjab, Amritsar and Lahore, lies the border crossing of Wagah, which is open only to foreign nationals. Indians and Pakistanis have to take the more expensive air route.
Passing through the border post is a ritual that is very much determined by bilateral geopolitics. The Pakistani porters, clad in red, and their blue-coated Indian brethren, are not allowed to cross over no-man´s land. Luggage-laden travellers therefore have to reach into their pockets twice during the brief transit.
It is not, however, the handful of tourists a day who provide the main sustenance for these border porters. They rely on the limited trade that does take place, and swing into action as soon as trucks bearing raisins and pistachios from Afghanistan heave into view.
As these porters scurry to and fro balancing sacks on their turbanned heads, they are quite oblivious to the nationalist sloganeering overhead. "Welcome to India-The World´s Largest Democracy", says one, while another proclaims, "Long Live Pakistan". In a bid to have the last word, the Indian side declares, "Hamara Bharal Mahan", in a message sponsored by Pepsi. Don´t they sell on the other side, too?