LAHORE, March 10: A 12-member delegation of Indian peace activists comprising 5 women and seven men, led by Dr Suresh Khernar crossed over to Pakistan from Wagah border on Saturday to become part of the Global March to Jerusalem (GMJ), a caravan scheduled to enter Palestine through land route via Beirut on March 30.

A brainchild of a humanitarian platform, Asian People Solidarity for Palestine, will comprise peace activists from India, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey.

Two earlier attempts through ‘Freedom Flotilla’ in the past two years to show solidarity with the oppressed Palestinians remained abortive.

Dr Khernar told a press conference here on Saturday that the Palestine issue should be seen as a human crisis needing urgent attention to avoid it becoming a world crisis.

A number of local humanitarian workers, religious and student leaders as well as hosts of the march from as far as Karachi and Hyderabad were also present to welcome the delegation. They included members of the Pakistan Palestine Foundation (PPF), a platform of Pakistani supporters of Palestine cause.

Feroze Mithiborwala, another Indian peace activist, said the marchers would fly to Tehran next week to reach Turkey after a five-day tour of various Iranian cities. Pakistani activists would, however, take a land route to join them in Iran, he added.

He said the Indian delegation would reach Multan on Sunday morning (today) on its way to Karachi through Sukkur and Hyderabad.

The members of Indian delegation include Mubashiruddin Khurram, a journalist representing Daily Siyasat, Hyderabad, Ms Insha Malik and Muhammad Yaqoob from Kashmir and Pooja Bhatekar from Mumbai.

The members dispelled the impression that they were being sponsored by any government or NGO, saying they were venturing on their own and from their own pockets.