How a last-minute diplomatic roadblock was avoided

It was late evening when some Pakistani officials noticed there was 8220;something8221; amiss with the design of the Pakistani flag. The whisper became a chorus as it was pointed out to the nervous DTC officials that the vertical white stripe 8212; representing the minorities of Pakistan 8211;was conspicuously missing. With just the crescent and star painted on green, the existing design was identical to the flag of the Jamat-e-Islami, which was agitating against Vajpayee8217;s visit.

There were many red faces in the Indian contingent after the bloomer was discovered. DTC officials realising the sensitivity of the issue, first informed their headquarters in Delhi about the mini-emergency and then asked for the graphic designer who had introduced the mistake to be rushed overnight to Amritsar.

The harried Indian officials then asked their Pakistani counterparts to give them a replica of the correct design. With the design in tow, a fleet of cars zipped off to Amritsar to locate a designer who would make the design alteration and save the Indian contingent from the diplomatic embarrassment that loomed large.

Fortunately, one designer was located and was taken unawares with the assignment that fell in his lap. 8220;Desh ki izzat ka sawaal hai8221; he was told by the officials. It was in the wee hours ofFebruary 20 that the final version of the merging flags was printed and pasted on the bus. The contingency bill that the DTC was forced to cough up: Rs 28,000.Back in New Delhi after its celebrity run, the Sada-e-Sarhad8217; now awaits the nod from Islamabad on when the tri-weekly passenger service can commence. The two sides, last month, signed an agreement which takes care of aspects like security, route, licences, insurance and break-downs. Clearly, as a reading of the agreement shows, nothing has been left to chance.But DTC officials say, the hold-up now appears to be a directive from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that their bus should have the all-important toilet facilities 8212; which the DTC has already ruled out for their Delhi-Lahore run. DTC Chairman G.S. Cheema says that while Pakistan is yet to unveil their bus, it was likely to be an imported Daewoo body, with a much larger chassis. Therefore, the Delhi-Lahore run might be done on a 46-seater, and even if four seats were reduced to include a toilet, itwas a larger seating capacity than what the DTC would be offering.

Besides this, DTC officials bemoan they still did not have the technical capability of providing a chemical toilet wash on the air-conditioned coach, which the Pakistani side were apparently gearing up with. The plan was for the DTC coach to have three stoppages at Pipli, Sirhand and Kartarpur. Also, while the Pakistani Tourism Corporation had already collaborated with the Falletis Hotel in Lahore for providing overnight stay, the Delhi Government were yet to finalise plans for boarding the bus passengers.

But Cheema was quick to point out, commencement of the road link was not a game of one-upmanship between India and Pakistan but a question of providing the best service. 8220;Our counterparts in Pakistani have been very impressed that ours is a completely indigenous effort,8221;Cheema said. 8220;They have, in fact, asked our assistance in several things like providing the Ushaphone service for the distance of 293 kilometers which their bus coverson Indian soil.8221;

Moreover, the Pakistanis are also sad to be trying to replicate the impressive ticket coupons, baggage tags and boarding passes similar to what airlines use which the DTC specially designed for their latest, high-profile service. And if all goes per expectations on both sides, the public face of the shuttle diplomacy triggered off on February 20, should be on road by early March.