ISLAMABAD, Dec 30: Peace between India and Pakistan should not be held hostage to the sole issue of Kashmir and people-to- people contact should be further strengthened to remove misunderstandings among the masses on both sides.

These views were shared by members of the Joint India Pakistan Peace and Goodwill Mission during their meeting with parliamentarians from the PPP at the TVO on Thursday. The meeting was organized by the Pakistan Peace Coalition (PPC).

The mission comprised 28 Pakistani and Indian expatriates, including peace activists, academics, journalists and concerned citizens living in the US, UK, Canada and other countries.

The mission is visiting India and Pakistan to strengthen people-to-people contact. It is also conducting meetings with people of both countries including women groups, literary circles, universities/academics, political leaders, local NGOs, peace activists and media persons to create a meaningful discussion and an environment conducive for constructive dialogue between the people of both countries.

John Prabhudoss, head of the mission, said peace between the two South Asian nuclear neighbours was not only vital for the region but for the entire world. The artificial wall of hatred erected between the two countries should be razed for the sake of a better future.

Other members of the mission were of the view that both the countries faced similar problems of poverty and unemployment and were far behind developed countries in all the human development indexes (HDIs).

One of the members said political parties and army bureaucracy on both sides had failed to achieve peace because they had exploited the Kashmir issue and emotions of the masses. People in both countries wanted social and economic development and not unending rifts which were pushing more people below poverty line.

PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar and MNAs Nayyar Bokhari and Fauzia Habib were also present on the occasion. Mr Babar said though the PPP was against Gen Pervez Musharraf, it backed his peace move.

He said Gen Musharraf was going all alone and had never consulted the parliament, opposition while making peace bids with India which could deprive the region of everlasting peace and could further create doubts among the masses about the intentions of Gen Pervez Musharraf.

The PPP, Mr Babar said, had asked the government to take four steps towards ensuring peace in the region, i.e. arrange meetings of families living on both sides of Kashmir, restart bus service between Muzaffarabad and Srinagar, arrange a meeting of Kashmiri lawyers living on both sides to highlight human rights violation in Kashmir and provide opportunities to the business community of Kashmir on both sides.