Family visits Pakistan on a goodwill mission, comes back raving

How Karachi scores over Mumbai: The airport is better, the roads are pothole-free, and the people are warm, gracious and more polite, say the Vaziranis

Express News Service

Mumbai, October 1: ON a warm Friday afternoon in Churchgate, the Lokhandwala-based Vaziranis have called a press conference.

‘‘We want to share (with you all) just how warm the people of Pakistan are,’’ gushes Mala Vazirani (47) who along with husband Suresh runs Transasia Bio-Medical, a Saki Naka-based diagnostic company that exports to 40 countries.

On September 1, together with kids Nikhil and Niharika (twins, aged 13) and Vibhudi (10), the Vaziranis visited Pakistan for the first time. Usha Gandhi, wife of sitting MP and author Rajmohan Gandhi (grandson of the Mahatma) played chaperone. Pakistani architect Najeeb and fashion designer Nasra Omar’s ‘‘palatial old haveli’’ at Karachi served as home for five days.

Direct contact with people from India going to Pakistan and people from Pakistan coming here, is important for a new page to turn in the history of this region. The Vaziranis’ visit made a statement there, as it does here Usha Gandhi

Going on about the hospitality, love and warmth of the Pakistanis ‘‘whether rich or poor’’, Mala says she couldn’t help but compare Mumbai and Karachi throughout the stay. ‘‘Sorry to say this, but Mumbai seems poorer in comparison,’’ she smiles.

As explanation she cites Karachi’s international airport as being ‘‘bigger, cleaner and ultra-modern.’’ Next come the roads, that she says are pothole-free and broad. ‘‘But the best part are the people of Karachi, who unlike the average Mumbaiite, are gracious, polite and give you time even though they too are enterprising and very busy,’’ says Mala.

She adds that contrary to popular belief, India is a craze in Pakistan.

At one time during their visit there was a delegation from India being visited by hundreds of Pakistanis in one wing of the five-star Anani International Hotel. In the next wing, a South Indian food festival had a queue spilling on to the road, grins Mala.

On a sombre note, she wants ‘‘the governments of both countries’’ to relax the strict visa norms to make travel between the two countries easier.

At present, both India and Pakistan offer visas that are valid for only one city in the country and require the holder to report to the local police station every 48 hours.

‘‘We had it easy because Rajmohan Gandhi ensured we had what is called non-reporting visas,’’ recalls Mala. And what about cricket?

It’s big in Pakistan too. ‘‘But not in the hateful way that we’re given to believe,’’ she smiles.

Kashmir, on the other hand, she says, ‘‘we never discussed.’’