ISLAMABAD, Aug 11 (Agencies) : Top politicians of Pakistan and India here on Sunday called for resolution of all disputes through a dialogue and not through the barrel of a gun.
They were addressing a two-day conference on understanding, confidence-building, conflict-resolution, arranged by South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA).
President SAFMA M Ziauddin and Secretary Imtiaz Alam from Pakistan, and President SAFMA (India chapter) K K Katyal in their speeches briefly explained the purpose of the extraordinary conference of parliamentarians of both the countries and role of SAFMA in reducing tension and bringing the two sides on negotiating table.
Pakistani and Indian legislators urged their leaders to learn from extraordinary maturity and wisdom exhibited by hostile European countries, which despite fighting two bloody world wars and being hostage to a bitter past spread over many centuries got united by shunning their lingual, racial and cultural differences.
The majority of speakers from both the sides advocated mutual dialogue on the basis of principles agreed between Indira Ghandi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in Simla Accord in 1974 and between Nawaz Sharif and A B Vajpayee in Lahore in 1999.
Some of the Indian delegates raised slogans "Pakistan, India Zindabad".
At least 15 political parties of India having representation in the parliament attended the conference.
All Pakistani political parties having representation in parliament like the PML-Q, PML-Nawaz, PPP, National Alliance, PPPP-Partiot, MQM, and Baloch Nationalist participated in the moot.
Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Farooq Leghari, Ch Shujaat Hussain, Javed Hashmi, Ejazul Haq, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Sana Baloch and Abdul Rauf Mengal represented their political parties in the conference.
In the morning session speeches focusing on peace between the two countries were delivered.
The majority of speakers from both the sides agreed on one point that time had come for both the nations to bulldoze the iron wall of hatred to bring people of both the countries closer.
Speaker National Assembly Ch Amir Hussain said the issue of Kashmir remains the primary source of tension between India and Pakistan.
He said the Kashmir issue resolution was vital for peace in South Asia.
He said they must strive to move in that direction if they want lasting peace in the region rather than a temporary breakthrough.
He concluded the first day debate on the issues concerning both the countries, hoped that a sustained and structured dialogue between Pakistan and India would commence soon on all outstanding issues, including the dispute over Jammu and Kashmir under the already agreed mechanism.
He said a viable and effective mechanism of regional cooperation can prove effective in resolution of disputes and building of mutual trust and confidence.
Former Chief Minister of Indian State Bihar Laloo Prasad Yadav enumerated benefits of democracy in India.
He said because of democratic values people do not allow anyone to do wrong things against masses and institutions.
He told the gathering how because of democracy he had reached the corridors of power despite having a humble background and dominance of feudals in his home state Bihar.
He argued in favour of poverty reduction and education for the future generations of both the countries.
Yadav said he had brought love from India conveying affections for the people of Pakistan sent by his wife who also remained chief minister of Bhiar.
Yadav speech was so captivating and delivered with such a craftsmanship and frank style that even PML-Nawaz leader Javed Hashmi on his turn to address the audience invited Laloo to address political rallies in Pakistan and get huge audience because of his oratory skills.
Yadav said when he landed in Pakistan he could not differentiate between the faces of people of two countries because every thing is so common.
He said he could not differentiate whether he was roaming in India or Pakistan.
Former Indian CM said he wanted to make it clear to all that he had come on his expenses to Pakistan as this was not an official delegation of the Indian government and so his talk should be taken seriously.
He said the Indian delegation comprised all major political parties, both ruling and opposition, and it has come to Pakistan full of love and open mind.
He said time had come for both the countries to remove hatred from their minds and hearts.
"We the Indians do not consider ourselves as Big Brother of Pakistan as usually wrongly perceived in Pakistan." But, he indirectly referred to Pakistan's refusal to admit the reality that India was a bigger country in every respect as compared to Pakistan and had the right to dictate its terms and conditions.
He said war could not address miseries of the people of Pakistan and India.
"This route of confrontation would take all of us to devastation and no one would like to adopt it".
He repeatedly told people of both Pakistan and India to purify their poisoned minds if they wanted peace.
They needed to tell the entire world that both India and Pakistan were mature enough to resolve their own differences on mutual basis and for this they do not need any help from any side.
"We are neighbours and we have to live in peace whether we like it or not.
One is always required to live with his or her neighbour peacefully".
He also referred to the migration of Muslims from his home state Bihar and said the wounds of the Partition were yet to be healed as people in India even today start weeping when they remember their relatives living in Pakistan.
Karachi was full of people from Bihar and when there is a problem between the two countries, people from both Karachi and Bihar do suffer badly.
Yadav was moved to see small children carrying placards of love and friendship when they entered Pakistan on Saturday, with the new generation wanted peace and books and they should not disappoint them.
The role of journalists was very important in strengthening democracy and relations between the two countries.
Indirectly referring to the support of an outside power in the ongoing process, he said it seemed that some remote control was being used to accelerate the peace process.
He did not like the way forces of both the countries at Wagha border show their anger and valour at the time of opening of gates.
Yadav asked why people of both the countries forget that their ancestors, pirs, Sufis and saints were the same.
In India people had an advantage because democracy was deep rooted and no one could do anything wrong.
He also quoted from famous Hindu writer Tulsi Das, Mahatma Ghandi and Gotam Buddh to establish his point that peace was important for the people of this planet specially Pakistanis and Indians.
He said they wanted to come Pakistan by air but both the countries have suspended air links creating troubles for the common people.
President Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-i-Azam and parliamentary leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain said that peace and good neighbourly relations between Pakistan and India were of great importance for the welfare and prosperity of the two nations.
He said both the countries, during 56 years of their existence, have had many direct talks to improve their relations but without success.
He said if the process continued with the same pace India and Pakistan might need another 50 years to resolve issues.
He welcomed the participants of the conference on behalf of the PML-Q and appreciated the role of SAFMA.
The running of buses and trains between the two counties cannot bring peace without resolving the core issue of Kashmir.
Shujaat said it was encouraging to note that the world community was pursuing the path of peace following the tragic events of September 11.
"Kashmir is not just an issue between the two countries but an issue of humanity which continues to suffer for the last 55 years".
Shujaat said the ruling PML-QA and the government headed by Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali fully support the peace path of the international community and would do everything possible to achieve this objective.
He said President General Musharraf went to Agra with an open mind and that he had initiated several steps for peace, welfare and prosperity of the people of this region.
A day would come when better sense would prevail and Kashmir issue would be resolved to the satisfaction of the people of Kashmir, India and Pakistan.
The political leadership both in India and Pakistan must rise to the occasion and work out a lasting and peaceful settlement of all pending issues.
MMA leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman opposed US mediation in resolving conflicts between India and Pakistan.
He asked the leaders of both the countries to show maturity and political wisdom to resolve their issues amicably without involving any third power.
The MMA view point, he suggested was not hawkish as usually propagated rather the religious parties were trying to get democracy and democratic institutions strengthened.
He offered the unconditional support of the MMA in conflict resolution between the two countries saying "we all must rise to the occasion and prove that Pakistan and Indian leaders could resolve their issues without the help of any third country".
He said war had never been solution to any conflict and criticised the role of US in world affairs after the fall of the USSR.
He said time has come to resolve the Kashmir issue in line with the wishes of the people of Kashmir.
Referring to his recent visit to India, he said he met the Indian prime minister, opposition leader Sonia Gandhi and others who received him with huge respect.
He said he exchanged views with Indian leaders on all important issues.
He said he was happy the way Indian prime minister extended his hand of friendship to Pakistan followed by positive response from PM Zafarullah Khan Jamali.
Millat Party chief Sardar Farooq Leghari in his speech termed the uprising in disputed Jammu and Kashmir indigenous.
He added it was totally wrong on the part of Indian side to blame Pakistan for fuelling the uprising.
Mr Leghari said instead of accusing the ISI for the resurgence in Indian side of the Kashmir, Indian leadership needed to tackle the troubling issue in accordance with the wishes of the people of Kashmir.
He said Indian leaders claim that violence in Kashmir was actually result of cross border terrorism but it was wrong to claim that outside forces could help stage a violent movement for a long time.
Leghari said as a result of a stand-off between Pakistan and India, the people living on the borders of both the countries were suffering for the last 57 years and their basic human rights were being abused so only through dialogue could come a workable solution." Indian National Congress leader Ms Margret Alva said that her party always worked for peace with Pakistan.
Referring to the visits of Nehru and Rajiv Ghandi as prime ministers of India to Pakistan she suggested it was wrong to say that Indian did not accept the very existing of Pakistan.
Indians did accept the existance of Pakistan and recognised its independent, sovereign status and respected it".
Both the countries were facing similar problems and guns could not find solution to these problems.
"We needed to bring about changes in our mindset and dialogue was the only way to bring this change.
We can learn from the peace initiatives between Beijing and New Delhi".
But, she said cross border terrorism always damaged the good will between the two countries.
Moinul Hassan of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said his party believed in dialogue.
He said 150 million people live in Pakistan and have massive natural resources to survive.
"We are the same people who got separated from each other in 1947; the problems of both countries were also common like foreign debt, poverty, unemployment and national calamites.
Ram Vilas Paswan of Lok Janshakti said he had been a member of the Indian parliament since 1977 and he had world record of scoring maximum votes.
If European countries, which fought bloody wars for decades, could get together then what was the problem with Pakistan and India, he asked.
Kashmir had become a disease and its cure was difficult to find, Ram said.
He said, "We should learn from the fall of Iraq whose neighbours were unhappy with it and when it was attacked no one supported the regime." He accused the US of fuelling the feeling of war between the two countries saying it was doing all this to sell weapons to the hostile neighbours.
He lamented that Lahore, Islamabad, Bombay and Delhi were decorated by the rulers while real face of poverty could be found in villages.
Samajwadi party MP Ramji Lal Suman asked Pakistan to reduce its defence budget and divert those funds to the social sector.
India was spending nine times more on its social sector development than defence budget.
He said he wanted to make a request to Pakistan that it should review its economic conditions.
The Pakistan army was one of the biggest armies in the world because of spending by the successive governments.
He said both the countries needed to cooperate in fields like agriculture as it would create huge job opportunities both in Pakistan and India, and, the people of India wanted normalisation of relations with Pakistan.
PML-N leader Javed Hashmi raised the issue of forcible exile of Nawaz Sharif.
Hashmi said Nawaz wanted to come to Pakistan to welcome the Indian guests but he was not allowed.
He said Nawaz wanted to see the peace process reach its logical end because he was one of those Pakistani civilian rulers who had actually advocated good relations with India and for this purpose he had also made sustainable efforts.
The civilian rulers had always tried to normalise relations with India but as a result democracy was derailed that led to suspension of such important initiatives.
He said this was quite strange that General Musharraf who had refused to salute Indian PM A B Vajpayee, when he visited Lahore, rushed to meet him in Agra.
Federal Minister for Housing and MQM Leader Safwanullah advocated peace between the two countries.
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