Sixty years after the United Kingdom ended its imperial reign over the Indian subcontinent, British influence still permeates Indian and Pakistani societies via the military, legal system and mutual love of cricket. But, through emigration, the roles appear to be slowly reversing.

Indian and Pakistani immigrants living in the British Isles are helping alter the European nation's culinary, literary and music scenes.

Immigrant populations
According to the British Foreign Office, approximately 1.5 million people of Indian descent and at least 800,000 people of Pakistani descent live in the United Kingdom. This population, in a country of 61 million, is fueling the changing relationship between colonial overseer and overseen.

"The extent that Britain influences the region is far less than it used to be," said Pramit Mitra, a native of India and a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington D.C.-based think tank. "The Indian and Pakistani communities [in Great Britain] now have a profound impact on relations."

Adil Najam, a native of Pakistan and a professor at Tufts University's Fletcher School of International Affairs, said the most visible sign of India's and Pakistan's influence is in the menu.

"The food that someone in Britain is most likely to go out and eat is no longer fish and chips -- it's curry," he said.

In addition, Najam said some of Great Britain's most popular literature comes from South Asian-born authors, and regionally influenced music has weaved its way up the British pop charts.

"They are cultural linkages in this globalized world," he added.

The expatriate communities also contribute to trade between South Asia and Great Britain, and there is mutual investment -- India was the second largest investor in the United Kingdom last year.

However, it may be Britain's waning global power that is most influencing the relationship. According to Mitra, the South Asian nations, particularly India, are looking to increase trade relations with larger economies, such as China and the United States.

"There are a lot of other countries that are far more important right now," he said. "India has adopted 'Look East' policies. They want to improve trade ties with China especially."

Najam agreed that China and the United States are a growing priority, but the ease of British relations has encouraged strong economic ties. "People in Pakistan are comfortable trading with people in Britain," he said.

Meanwhile, despite murky histories between Britain and its former colonies, officials on all sides contend political relations are close and generally positive.

Similar to the economic situation, Najam said the diasporas also create political connections, providing a bridge from United Kingdom and its former South Asia satellites.

For example, as the British agenda has evolved to focus on the war on terrorism, Pakistan has become a key ally to "engage the Islamic world," and India has taken part in anti-terrorism exercises, according to the British Foreign Office.

Akbar Ahmed, former high commissioner for Pakistan in London and now a professor at American University, explained that in Pakistan, the United Kingdom has more influence "than any country of their size and weight. If the queen or Prince Charles talked to President Musharraf, it would have an impact."

Much of the region's elite were educated in Great Britain, said Najam. While many of the best students now tend to seek to study in the United States, he said, "There is a large number of people in the corridors of power in Pakistan who will be able to talk about London in a very familiar way."

The immigrant communities are also "so large, [they] now impact British politics directly," Najam noted. Some British citizens of Pakistani and Indian descent have been elected to political office.

Tensions in Britain
But the political picture isn't completely rosy. Ahmed said the British "have a great appreciation of South Asian and Muslim culture," but there also is an underlying "element of racism."

He points to the widespread use of the derogatory term "Paki" that many British used to describe Pakistani immigrants, a term that swiftly spread to encompass all South Asians.

Although the British Foreign Office said the British value the contributions of the South Asian communities, Ahmed said "there is tension in Great Britain," and the former Pakistani official presents a different perspective.

Ahmed said the July 7, 2005 bombings on London's transportation system created friction between the British and the Pakistani communities. Initially, Ahmed said the British reacted calmly, but following the more recent planned attack on Glasgow Airport in Scotland, which involved terrorists of Pakistani descent, he said the British response became one of "shock and horror."

This reaction was not aimed at the Indian diaspora, but at the Pakistani community, where some of its members have adopted a hard-line version of Islam, he explained. "The British philosophy collapsed in the Muslim world in the 1980s," Ahmed said, adding that it was replaced with an "aggressive and literalist interpretation" of Islam that may now be seeping into Pakistani communities in Great Britain.

The official line from the British Foreign Office is that the recent tensions would have no effect on British-Pakistani relations, but Najam said he was less convinced.

"If you were to chart the history of Great Britain and Pakistani relations, the two key dates would be ... 1947 [the year Pakistan and India declared their independence] and July 7," Najam said. "If you're passing through airport security, the only thing worse than having a Pakistani passport is having a British passport that says you're of Pakistani descent."

But both Najam and Ahmed said they believe the Pakistani diaspora can dissolve the tensions by engaging with the British government while simultaneously confronting their internal discord.

"I'm hopeful; there's enough goodwill on both sides," Ahmed said. "But it's a rocky road ahead."

-- By Brian Mason, Online NewsHour