NEW DELHI, Oct 10: The announcement that Pakistan had accepted an offer of aid from India could help the peace process between the two countries, analysts in both countries said.

Uday Bhaksar, deputy head of the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, a think tank in New Delhi, called it a ‘symbolically important’ development.

“In the past there has been a certain reluctance by Pakistan to accept assistance from India,” Mr Bhaksar said. “This will have a positive effect on the peace process and the perception of one about the other.”

“It is a very good development in bilateral relations between the two countries,” I.A. Rehman, head of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, said.

“In tragedies like this, when people are afflicted, rivals come to their senses. They realized they need to work together,” he said.

“The latest development augurs well in improving relations between Pakistan and India,” political and defence analyst Lt Gen (retd) Talat Masood, said.

“It shows both countries want to show goodwill whenever the opportunity arrives,” he said. “As Pakistan is in distress, it is a good gesture from India. Pakistan has made similar gestures to India in the past.”

—AFP