LAHORE, Dec 11: Senator Muhammad Ali Durrani, an adviser to the prime minister, said on Sunday the open media policy had forced India and Pakistan to hold dialogue on every outstanding issue. He was speaking at the opening session of the four-day South Asian Regional seminar on Christian-Muslim Dialogue in the Indian Subcontinent, which was organized by the National Commission for Inter-Religious Dialogue and Ecumenism, at a local hotel.

Mr Durrani said the process of dialogue had made the two countries to discuss every issue, including Kashmir. The people-to-people contact between them forced their governments to indulge in talks.

He said President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz were in favour of dialogue. The president had talked with the Indian leaders many times to discuss the Kashmir issue. He stressed that the process of dialogue should continue so that it could benefit the future generations.

The senator said Christianity and Islam had many similarities in that they preached respect and love for humanity. It was high time that their followers ironed out all the differences.

Archbishop Mons Michael L. Fitzgerald, the president of the National Commission for Inter-Religious Dialogue (Vatican), said it was faith in God and confidence in humanity that impelled the late Pope John Paul-II to engage in dialogue.

He said it was the moral duty of all to build up good relations between people of different religions, to promote cultural dialogue and to work together for greater justice and enduring peace. Both Christians and Muslims should show that they could live together in true fraternity.

Bishop Andrew Francis, the chairman of the National Commission for Inter-Religious Dialogue and Ecumenism, and Bishop Alexander John Malik said more such dialogues should be held to discuss all the issues.

Islamic Ideology Council chairman Dr Khalid Masood and some foreign participants also spoke.