|
|
| June 23, 2003 | Monday | Rabi-us-Sani 22,1424 |
Lack of trust hinders peace moves: Kuldip
ISLAMABAD, June 22: The head of the visiting Indian parliamentarians’ delegation, Kuldip Nayyar, has called for making joint efforts to provide security and happiness to the people of the subcontinent.
He was speaking at a luncheon reception hosted for the delegation by People’s Party Parliamentarians MNA Sherry Rehman at a local hotel on Sunday.
Mr Nayyar regretted that about 90 per cent people in India and Pakistan had no access even to clean drinking water. He said both the countries should pay attention to poverty reduction. For a long-lasting peace, he added, there was a need to remove misunderstandings between the two countries.
Mr Nayyar mentioned his recent meetings with Benazir Bhutto in Dubai and Nawaz Sharif in Jeddah and said both the former premiers had expressed the desire to have peace with India. He thanked the people of Pakistan for their hospitality, adding that he had visited Pakistan several times but on this occasion he had received the most overwhelming welcome.
He hoped that “the region will soon become a powerful area in the sense that the people will have food and security and a feeling of hatred for war.”
Earlier, Ms Rehman welcoming the guests referred to the hospitality she had received in India when she went there with a delegation about a month ago. She hoped that the Kashmir issue would be resolved amicably. She, however, urged both the countries to find a solution to the problem acceptable to the people of the Valley.
Deputy parliamentary leader of the PPP in the National Assembly Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi said there was a “large constituency of peace in both the countries” but due to lack of trust and confidence on both sides, peace could not take place. Increased people-to-people contacts, he added, would help build confidence and trust between the two countries.
Referring to Mr Nayyar’s meetings with Mr Sharif and Ms Bhutto, he said the two former premiers had strong desire for peace in the region but now “Gen Musharraf is talking about peace, which is a big change.”
“We need to learn many things from India like how parliament’s sovereignty is respected there and how they have established an autonomous election commission. Similarly, there is a need to know why Indian Punjab is more productive than my Punjab”.
The PPP secretary general, Raja Pervez Ashraf, said Indians and Pakistanis were living in foreign countries together in harmony and peace. He gave the example of Bradford, UK, in this regard. He said war was not a solution to resolve conflicts.
OUR REPORTER ADDS: The Islamabad Policy Research Institute arranged an informal meeting in honour of the Indian delegation at a local hotel on Saturday.
Prof Pervaiz Iqbal Cheema said thick clouds over the Indo-Pakistan horizon were now dissipating. Some confidence-building measures, such as reinstallation of the high commissioners, starting of air, road and railway links, were positive steps.
Kuldip Nayyar remarked that Kashmir was a symptom of India- Pakistan tensions. Anti-Muslim feeling in India and anti-Hindu feelings in Pakistan had been going on for the last fifteen years.
Niaz A. Naik said it was time that India and Pakistan should forget the pathology of the past. He said both countries had “missed the bus” after the Cold War.
Dr Mubashir Hasan observed that the civil bureaucracy, generals and politicians had contributed to this confrontation. Peace will not come because of the efforts of the masses, but because of the future “dividends of peace.” Hence, there is a need to mobilize the two peoples for promotion of peace.
Lakshman Sethi said Kashmir was only one of the issues affecting relations between India and Pakistan.
Akram Zaki said geography had made India and Pakistan as neighbours, history as bad neighbours, politics as enemies, and, statesmanship could make them turn into better neighbours.
Pawan Bansal maintained that peace was now an imperative between the two countries. K. M. Khan brought out the fact that the Indian delegation was in Pakistan for the promotion of CBMs. It was a non-governmental and non-official forum.
Ramdas Athwale said there was an immediate need to stop terrorism of all kind. He hoped for better relations between the two countries.
Dr Imtiaz H. Bokhari cautioned both the countries to now “break free” from history. He said India had been following a contradictory policy, despite lofty principles.
|
|
