26 September 2004	Sunday	10 Shaban 1425

LAHORE, Sept 25: Senior Indian jurists on Saturday pleaded with India and Pakistan to first reach an understanding on a resolution of he Kashmir conflict and then involve the Kashmiri leadership as the third party to the dispute.

"I have no doubt in my mind that they (the two countries) are capable of reaching a consensus on how to resolve the Kashmir dispute. But they should not involve any third party at this stage, not even the United Nations and the Kashmiri leadership," delegation leader Adish C Aggarwala said while speaking at a reception hosted by the Punjab Bar Council.

He and other Indian jurists, now on a visit to Pakistan on a goodwill mission, said the atmosphere was promising and given the political will, the two neighbouring states would be able to resolve all outstanding disputes, including Jammu and Kashmir, and help usher in an era of friendship, peace and progress throughout the South Asian region.

Mr Aggarwala said the two countries were spending most of their national resources on defence and security. These spending had led to the miseries of millions of the people who lacked even the basic needs like health, education, safe drinking water and a good infrastructure. "For how long they (the two countries) will deprive their people of even a modest living; will it not be provident that these resources going waste on defence and security are diverted for the improvement of the life of the people, saving them from abject poverty", he added.

He also called for visa facilities promised to senior citizens and journalists to be extended to the lawyers community which, he said, was the most vocal community in advocating peace and friendship between the two countries. He lauded the effort of the community in furthering the cause of peace which, he said, was very dear to the people of the two countries.

Chairperson Punjab Haryana Bar Council Brijmohan Vinayak said the outstanding issues were matters between two families which could not remain separated for long. He requested the Lahore High Court Bar Association to confer on him the association membership for which he formally applied when he was in Lahore late last year. He said he had applied for the LHCBA membership visualising a situation in not distant a future when Indian lawyers would appear in Pakistani courts and Pakistani lawyers in the Indian courts.

PBC vice-chairperson Chaudhry Tanvirur Rehman Randhwa hoped that the atmosphere promised amicable settlement of all the outstanding issues between the two countries.

PBC executive committee chairperson Pir Mohammad Masood Chishti said lawyers spearheaded the campaign of peace and friendship at a time when the two countries were in deep conflict and their relationship seemed estranged beyond compromise. Former vice-chairperson PBC Arif Chaudhry was convinced that the two governments would not be able to take away the initiative of friendship that the people from both sides of the political divide had taken.