KARACHI, Feb 5: Panellists at a talk on Thursday advised the peoples of India and Pakistan not to pin all their hopes on the forthcoming peace negotiations between the two countries. They feared that the talks could turn out to be an election stunt.

The talk, organized by the Karachi Union of Journalists at the Karachi Press Club, saw eminent intellectuals, human rights activists and performers from India and Pakistan fulminate against their governments' frequent submission to hardliners. They also chastised the press and the electronic media for their treatment of tricky issues.

Prof K.N. Pannikkar, historian and author of at least two books, said there had been an organized attempt by communalists to install some of their representatives in the media, which were very influential in both countries.

He added that the battle between secularists and communalists in India was not equal because civil society itself had transformed over the years. "The secularists are not articulate enough. They are also not consistent in their efforts."

He said the communalists had come forward not as fascists but as a political party. The liberals have been silenced systematically and they now need considerable strength to stand up and oppose the forces of communalism.

Shabnum Hashmi of Anhad (Act Now for Harmony And Democracy), a non-governmental organization, said riots in Gujarat had been planned in advance by communalists who had a large network at their disposal to disseminate all sorts of information.

She referred to Prof Pannikkar's book on the riots in Gujarat, adding that he had arrived at the same conclusion after exhaustive research on the subject. Much to the consternation of quite a few panellists, Ms Hashmi said that at least 50 per cent of the communists in India had become communalists.

Indian actress Nandita Das said that the BJP and the RSS did not represent Hindus like herself. She added that they were as much the enemies of the secularists in India as they were the enemies of the Muslims.

Columnist M.B. Naqvi said there were fascist tendencies on both sides of the border. Human Rights Commission of Pakistan I.A. Rahman, introduced the panellists.

Indian film-maker Gauhar Raza and KUJ general-secretary Fazil Jamili read out poems. KUJ president Mazhar Abbas and actor Sajid Hasan also spoke.