LAHORE, Oct 7: Gun is no solution to any problem, says Elek Hofa, chairperson of German parliament’s defence committee.

Talking to newsmen at a reception hosted by PML-N’s foreign affairs coordinator Muhammad Mehdi here on Tuesday, she said a dialogue was the best option to resolve disputes.

She was asked what solution did her country suggest to fight terrorism -- gun or dialogue.

She said Pakistan and Afghanistan should first settle disputed issues on their own and only then the European Union or any other country should come forward to facilitate them in strengthening their relationship.

“You (Pakistanis and Afghans) have same culture and background and understand each other better than any one else. So settling your mutual differences on your own should not be a difficult job.”

Mrs Hofa, who had earlier visited Pakistan before the February polls, said the Marriot (hotel blast) had changed the situation and now it was fairly difficult to convince German investors to come here.

“The problem can be solved through an exchange of delegations of parliamentarians and people from other walks of life and by providing maximum information about the real moderate face of Pakistan to the outside world,” she said.

Regretting the lack of vision a majority of Pakistanis have about their future, she recalled that the Germans after World War II devastation decided to build institutions that resulted in the development of their country.

Senior defence and political analyst Dr Hasan Askri Rizvi said that Pakistan currently faced three challenges – extremism, absence of good governance and weak economy. He said international support was required to overcome these challenges.

Mr Mahdi suggested that Germany should help Pakistan in lifting the anti-dumping duty and quota on Pakistani textile exports in European Union by raising the issue at the EU finance ministers’ meeting due in November.

German deputy head of mission Ina Lepel, PPP secretary-general Jehangir Badr and Qasim Zia, PML-N’s Zaeem Qadri, Jamaat-i-Islami’s Amirul Azeem, renowned businessman Tahir Manzoor and Tariq Gill also attended the reception.