Love strives to conquer Indo-Pak diplomacy

She's Indian, he's Pakistani. They now live in Dubai with their child, and their paperwork is never ending. A.B won't give out her real name or her husband's or her toddler's, because "I try to stay out of the Press when it comes to India-Pakistan".
She tells Khaleej Times: "I want to continue to get visas!"
The family's been in Dubai for over two years. Before Dubai, they were based in London, which is where they got married.
Excerpts from a quick interview with the wife.
You're Indian. Your husband's Pakistani. What's it been like to procure visas?
It's challenging. But I would say it's the only challenge in our marriage, so I don't dwell on it too much. It gives me sleepless moments from time to time. The fear that you can't be there for one another if the other person is back in their home, or for one another's families; in an emergency, etc. The paperwork is onerous, and a deterrent for the faint-hearted. It's harder for people who don't have the time and patience, or simply the levels of literacy and identity proofs required to fill up yards of paperwork.
How much of a pain is it to get visas? And what's the waiting time like?
The waiting time guidance given is eight weeks. Like everything, it can be more or less.
Has it become worse? Or have you in the years that you've been together worked out some tricks of the trade, if any?
It has become tougher, it feels like the levels of distrust are not abating on either side. There are no long-term tricks of the trade. Just patience, and luck. And you have to ask people to help you out along the way and hope that someone will take time to understand the genuine need. I am genuinely grateful for the help we have got as a family, to make travel possible.
What about visas for your son? Is that any easier? What's the paperwork like regarding his nationality? Can a child be Indian and Pakistani?
India does not allow anyone dual nationality. With any country.
What advice would you give to couples like yourselves, married across the border. Any do's and don'ts?
Don't underestimate the difficulties of travelling to each other's families. It's sad, but the viable solution is to find a third country to live in. Not an easy solution.
What do the August 14-15 Independence Days in your home mean?
We celebrate all festivals and all independence/national days. UK, India, Pakistan, and the UAE too! Luckily, nobody really watches cricket, so there are no major issues! This border has been open to trade, culture and people for millennia. This is an artificial construct, and I am hopeful that with time in the years to come, there will be peace. If the UK and France, after years of war, can share a submarine fleet and free trade, India and Pakistan will find a solution. For that matter, the broader South Asian region from Afghanistan to Myanmar to Sri Lanka will open up. The people on the ground and what the newspapers show are two different worlds.
nivriti@khaleejtimes.com