Dr Attiq Ur Rehman and Dr Mohammad Rafiq, two dentists who have come from Lahore to attend the three-day Punjab State and North India Dental Conference, said relations between the countries may have soured at the political level but the common man will not snap family ties because of that.

“We cannot deny that there are differences but they are only at the political level. But there is no reason why we cannot or should not accept invitations from our friends on the Indian side. We are here because we were so warmly invited by our fellow dentists in Punjab. This is my first visit to India and I am very touched with the love and hospitality shown by my colleagues. I feel as if I am among family,” said Dr Rafiq.

He added: “Things may not be congenial given the present situation and the nations share a mutual distrust but the flow of people between the two countries should not be affected by this. We share the same history and identical geographical, socio-cultural and environmental conditions and, therefore, the same set of health problems too. We need to talk to each other more often since the solutions to our common problems are also common.”

Talking about dental hygiene in Pakistan, Dr Rehman said: “I think the attitude of the people towards dental hygiene is the same in both countries. In Pakistan, people do not like to visit a dentist unless they have had a sleepless night due to an unbearable toothache.”