NEW DELHI, May 4: Pakistani peace activists said here on Sunday they would carry the ashes of Gandhian icon Nirmala Deshpande to be immersed in the Indus river to underscore her work to bring the two countries together. Ms Deshpande, 79, died on Thursday.

Trade union leaders and peace workers B.M. Kutty and Karamat Ali of the Pakistan-India Peoples Forum for Peace and Democracy told Dawn they would fly home with the ashes, possibly to Karachi first, on Monday.

The immersion will be held after exploring the best site near the Indus, in consultations with colleagues on both sides of the border, so as to make it a memorable event.

In defiance of Hindu convention, in which male members of the family perform the ceremony, Ms Deshpande’s funeral at the Lodhi Colony electric crematorium was led by an eleven year old daughter she had adopted.

The Pakistani peace activists had flown in especially to be present for the last rites.