You can’t be blamed for thinking that the winds of diplomatic change were finally blowing over India and Pakistan. First, an Indo-Pak cricket series was announced. Then, The Times of India announced a journalist exchange programme with Pakistan under its Aman Ki Asha programme in which journalists from each country can work in a newspaper of the other country. What a beautiful world, you say?

Well, it almost was, till Pakistan decided to exercise its right to reject yesterday. A media delegation was all set to accompany External Affairs Minister, S M Krishna to Pakistan for the foreign minister-level talks on September 8, 2012. And Praveen Swami, Resident Editor of The Hindu, was one of the journalists in the delegation.

Swami had received his visa and was all set for his first trip to the country. But the Fates and Pakistan’s gate-keepers had other plans for him, because after being granted the visa, it was unceremoniously cancelled by the Pakistan High Commission.

When we spoke to Praveen Swami today (September 7, 2012) he said, “Neither The Hindu nor the external affairs ministry has been given any reason for cancelling the visa. The Hindu was asked to nominate another correspondent, but they’ve refused. No other journalist in the media contingent accompanying SM Krishna has had his or her visa cancelled. It’s definitely very unusual. When I received the passport, it had been stamped with the Pakistan visa, which had then been cancelled. I assume that a higher authority in Islamabad might have got it cancelled”.

It’s bad enough that Pakistan High Commission is now vetting media lists. What’s even worse is that the EAM talk which Swami was to go on, wasmainly to discuss a more open visa regime between the two countries. Good start to the talks.

So why was Swami denied a visa? Other Indian journalistshave not only visited Pakistan but also shot entire programmes there. Barkha Dutt hosted a We The People there. Suhasini Haider’s been there, more than a dozen times, and even blogged to tell the tale of how she was “part of a new round of media exchanges (there is a group of Urdu-paper editors headed to India this month), who are being given ‘guided’ tours of various cities.” http://ibnlive.in.com/blogs/suhasinihaidar/218/62373/indian-journalists-make-news-in-pakistan.html

So why has Swami been singled out?

Could it have something to do with the Opinion pieces he’s recently written on Pakistan for The Hindu, which weren’t the most flattering analyses of the political crisis which is unfolding in the country? Will we ever know?

Whatever it be, Swami along with all of us can now watch Krishna fawn over Hina Rabbani Khar and her Birkins from a distance. Or he could join a tour group and enter Pakistan through the new visa category which is to be introduced during these talks – of the group tourist visas through which tour operators can bring groups of tourists to either country.