HYDERABAD, Oct 24: Noted peace activist from India and a member of the Indian Parliamentarians’ delegation, Nirmala Deshpande, has expressed confidence that all the contentious issues between Pakistan and India could be resolved through a dialogue.

She was talking to newsmen at a reception hosted in honour of the members of the Indian delegation, which is on a peace mission to Pakistan, by the Hyderabad Press Club on Friday.

The ex-member of the Rajya Sabha, who is also the chairperson of the Association of People of Asia, India, said that the APA was engaged in people-to-people contact for the promotion of peace in Asia.

She said that the proposals announced by the Indian government to normalize relations between the two countries was “one step forward” and added that it was indeed a happy augury that the senior citizens of both the countries including herself would be able to meet each other hopefully without any hindrance.

She said that people of both the countries who had left their homes after partition were craving to visit their old lanes and streets at least once in their lifetime.

She said after the routes were opened she along with the members of the Association of People of Asia will welcome the first bus from Pakistan.

She said that she had visited Pakistan sometime back and made it clear that what was needed to resolve the Kashmir issue was “Not Goli but Boli”.

Quoting from renowned Indian poet Ali Sardar Jafri’s poem, she said “Guftgu band na ho, Baat sey baat nikle”.

Ms Nirmala said that all the political parties in the parliament desired that a peaceful solution should be found to resolve the Kashmir issue which should be acceptable to all.

She made it clear that no problem could be resolved through war and quoted another Urdu couplet: Jang sey masla kya hal ho ga, Jang khud ek masla hai”.

She reiterated that there was no substitute for dialogue.

She said Kashmir was not the only issue but there was trade and interaction between the people, and added that there was no reason why the students of the two countries could not study in the educational institutions of both the countries.

She said that the people of both the countries wanted peace and interaction.

In this context she quoted the example of a minor Pakistani girl, Noor Fatima, who was operated upon in Bangalore. She elucidated that daily bulletins were issued about Noor’s health and she received more publicity than the president and prime minister.

She wondered why a big public meeting could not be held in Lahore, under the aegis of the Association of People of Asia, where thousands of people should come from India and interact with the people of Pakistan.

Speaking on the occasion, parliament member, Abdur Rasheed Shaheen, who hails from Kashmir, said use of force can not resolve contentious issues.

He said during the first war between India and Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir was divided into two parts, while during the second war the forces had to go back to their original position in accordance with the Tashkant Declaration, and during the third war Pakistan broke up.

Referring to the “core issue”, he said the people of Kashmir were being killed on both sides.

He regretted that the issue had been made a point of prestige for the last 50 years.

He, however, expressed hope that the people who sincerely believe in love and peace would eliminate the “monster of animosities”.

He said during his meeting with Air Marshal (retd) Asghar Khan, the latter had termed the interference of a third party as “stupidity”.

He said this is a bilateral issue and should be resolved through mutual understanding.

He gave a warning that if the two countries failed to talk then some third power would intervene, which would be harmful for both the countries.