KARACHI – Pakistani and Indian peace activists on Thursday underlined the need for unbreakable peace process until mutual disputes are resolved. These activists were speaking at a reception, hosted by the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) in honour of a nine-member peace delegation that arrived from India in the evening.
Leading the delegation, former MP and senior journalist Kuldip Nayar said that negotiations between the two countries should be continuous and both countries should seriously make efforts for an uninterrupted dialogue. He appealed the people for expediting their efforts with regard to peace in the South Asian region, saying that people of both countries should eliminate hatred from their hearts as no religion teaches genocide.
Senior journalist Jatin Desai suggested that home secretaries of both countries would meet on March 28, so the officials should be asked to talk about the people’s problems, like prisoners and the fishermen issue. PILER Executive Director Karamat Ali said that peace is not a priority of the rulers of both countries. He said that the time has come for the people to prepare a plan for eliminating extremist elements.
“We should start thinking and acting as South Asians. Social and economic indicators in South Asia are very poor and shameful,” he said. The governments of both countries are spending their meagre resources on purchasing arms and ammunition, he added. He said that 60 percent of the people in India live below the poverty line, whereas the situation in Pakistan is worse, and urged the members of the delegation to maximise their peace efforts.
Former MP Shahid Siddiqui said that he came to Pakistan in 2004 when tension between India and Pakistan was heightened. “We have made mistakes and when we realise these mistakes, the situation would then improve,” he said, adding that in India, the media is not free as some forces are manipulating people’s opinions.
