17 October 2004	Sunday	02 Ramazan 1425

LAHORE, Oct 16: Former Indian prime minister Inder Kumar Gujral on Saturday sounded hopeful of a 'positive' outcome of the ongoing India-Pakistan dialogue for peace and said both the parties seemed more serious in resolving outstanding issues than before.

"I can assure you that things are going in our favour because all the parties seem to have realized that it is non-cooperation which is costing them heavily and that they should give cooperation a chance now," Mr Gujral said at a reception hosted in his honour by the Quaid-i-Azam Law College.

He said it was the will of the people to see peace and friendship on both sides of the divide that was proving to be a factor powerful enough to make the parties change their attitude. The people-to-people contact in this part of the world had truly made a telling impact on their leadership at the policy level, he added.

The former Indian prime minister said developing the seven-state Saarc into a true South Asian regional economic organization was absolutely necessary to save one-fifth of the humanity in this part of the world from poverty, hunger and illiteracy. He, however, said the potential of the region as a potential one was difficult to achieve unless the people in South Asia shun prejudice and mistrust.

"We have been slaves of history, bias and lack of confidence on each other. This attitude grew quite as a culture of hatred and animosity and we all suffered. We have to correct ourselves, our thinking, adopt a positive attitude and leave behind a heritage which is not so envious," he advised students and others in a disciplined audience.

The former Indian prime minister said the people of the two countries, who had common history and cultural traditions, wanted lasting friendship. Political leadership (of the two countries) also desired peace and improvement in mutual cooperation in many walks of life. Yet, the goal was not being achieved and it was because "we are yet to open our hearts and leave behind grudges we have been fostering for decades," he added.

Mr Gujral quoted Malaysian scholar Shafi Ghazali as explaining the difference between the Asean and the Saarc in a way that the former hid their differences and the latter exposed such disputes. He said the Asean was making huge strides towards economic cooperation despite differences among its member states. On the contrary the Saarc was making no meaningful progress for achieving its cherished goals.The former Indian prime minister, now serving as chancellor of the Maulana Muhammad Husain Azad University of Hyderabad, also focused on the importance of education as the most fundamental factor in transforming society which, he said, was the basic need. He said he pinned high hopes on students as a forward-looking generation, which was hardly in agreement with those who had been preaching hatred and animosity and vitiated political and social atmosphere of the sub-continent to prolong the misery of the people.

Mr Gujral, a Ravian who was arrested during the 1942-43 Quit India movement from the Government College hostel in Lahore and was later released on bail by an English judge of the Lahore High Court, told students the 'beauty' of co-education. He said his marriage owed to co-education and he wished all the students well.