Strong bonds between Indians and Pakistanis in the UAE

Transcript

00:00Nuclear neighbors, India and Pakistan are engaged in deadly clashes across the line

00:08of control, sparking fears of a major conflict breaking out.

00:12Diplomatic relations have come to a standstill, and hyper-nationalists on both sides of the

00:17border are sounding out war cries, and peace has taken a back seat.

00:23But in the UAE, where 2.6 million Indians and 1.2 million Pakistanis co-exist, there

00:30are no flare-ups, but only friendship that goes beyond politics.

00:53India and Pakistan are engaged in deadly clashes across the line of control, sparking

01:18fears of a major conflict breaking out, and peace has taken a back seat.

01:30In fact, because I'm from Pakistan and my roots are actually from India, and a lot of

01:34people in India have roots from Pakistan, so I think either of the countries, I mean

01:40Pakistan and India saying, going to war with each other, for me, it's pretty much like

01:44us going to war with ourselves.

01:47So that's pretty much it, we don't believe in all of that, we're pretty happy with each

01:52other.

01:53We are at a workers' accommodation in the Musafa Industrial Area in Abu Dhabi, where

01:59more than 100 blue-collar workers, both from India and Pakistan, are residing.

02:05Even while sharing the same living space, they have only stories of friendship and harmony

02:10to share.

02:12We are all brothers and sisters, we don't have any problems, we are just friends, we

02:18don't have any conflicts in the country.

02:21We come to this country to earn, so we should all be together, as friends, as brothers,

02:27and what is happening in our homes, it shouldn't be happening in this country.

02:33Why is it not good for the government here and for this country?

02:37Why is this country giving us work?

02:40There's a lot of fighting going on between India and Pakistan, but here you have a friend,

02:44a Pakistani friend, how is he?

02:46He has left the country, he will come here, he is also a brother, but he has left India

02:52and Pakistan, he will come here, Abu Dhabi is full of people.

02:56Here, we have come for work, they have also come for work.

03:01There is no relationship problem here.

03:04Our room is Pakistani, and the other room is also Pakistani.

03:08We are Indians, we don't have any problems with each other.

03:13As people who share the same dreams and aspirations of building a better life for themselves and

03:18their families, Indian and Pakistani expatriates in the UAE remain insulated from the political

03:24clashes gripping their countries back home.

03:27Their only hope is their peaceful coexistence and friendship will resonate with their respective

03:32governments in India and Pakistan.

03:35Anjana Shankar for Express.