The speakers of Indian and Pakistani parliaments on Wednesday agreed to jointly work for the promotion of improved relations between the two South Asian neighbours.
According to a message received from Switzerland, a meeting between Ayaz Sadiq and Meira Kumar was held in Geneva on the sidelines of the ongoing 129th Inter Parliamentary Union Assembly.
Sadiq stressed on keeping all available channels open to avoid escalation of mistrust and bitterness on both sides of the divide. He said that parliamentary exchange had created a lot of goodwill and opened new vistas of cooperation between the two countries. Referring to the Indian speaker’s visit to Pakistan in February 2012, Sadiq said, “That was the first visit by any Indian Speaker. Let us not make it the last.”
Kumar said she still held nostalgic memories of her visit to Pakistan, which was frequently quoted in the Indian media. She regretted that whenever moves were made for a mutually respecting neighborhood, the efforts were thwarted by isolated acts.
She raised the issue of terrorism in the region, which was affecting all nations. She called for joint efforts to eradicate the menace. She also called for respecting the sanctity of the Line of Control.
Sadiq said Pakistan was the worst victim of terrorism as it had sacrificed the lives of more than 60,000 people in gruesome acts of terror. On LoC, he reminded his Indian counterpart that the “individual acts must not spoil the collective efforts”.
He also referred to the immense pool of economic opportunities of the two countries and said there was no point in doing business with the world and ignoring markets next door.
“In India, Pakistan has a huge market and in Pakistan, you have a sizeable number. Let us not let it go waist and jointly work for a mutually prosperous future for our generations,” said Sadiq.
Kumar welcomed the suggestions and reiterated her invitation to Sadiq to visit India. He accepted the invitation and hoped that his presence in India would help bringing the relationship to another level.
