PESHAWAR, March 19: The visiting Indian delegation has called for increasing people-to-people contacts to strengthen mutual relations between Pakistan and India. “Both countries should start composite dialogue to step up efforts aimed at consolidation of the ongoing peace process in the region,” Dr Ash Narain Roy, Coordinator of the Institute of Social Sciences (ISS), said. Mr Roy, who heads an eight-member delegation of the local government representatives in India, was speaking at the Peshawar Press Club’s “Guest Hour” programme on Saturday.

He said that both countries should learn from the example of because despite major differences and problems, China had boosted its relations with India. He observed that the Kashmir issue could not be ignored, but both countries should improve bilateral relations in other fields also and exchange delegates to build confidence at grassroots level.

Mr Roy said that the local government system had been introduced in 1992 in India through a constitutional amendment, which put remarkable impact on the democratic system of the country. Elaborating main features of the Indian local government system, he said according to the constitution local body elections were held every five years, with 33 per cent quota of seats reserved for women.

He said initially some vested interests opposed the new system, but now they had realised its importance. A 33-member Indian delegation arrived here on March 13 on a 15-day visit to exchange views with the local government representatives of Pakistan and to learn from each other’s experiences.

Nerella Sharada, a member of the delegation belonging to to Andura Pradesh, said that after getting representations in the local government, now they were lobbying for getting 33 per cent seats reserved for women in the Indian Parliament.

She said that during discussions they came to know that police department worked under the local government which was a good thing.