Talks only way to resolve Indo-Pak issues, says Aiyar

Indian MP says there is misunderstanding in both the countries about terrorism

KARACHI: Lawmaker from Indian National Congress and former consul general in Pakistan, Mani Shankar Aiyar, has said India and Pakistan can never find solutions to their longstanding problems until they sit across a table and engage in talks.

“India has no better partner to talk than Pakistan. We need uninterrupted talks and acceptance of terrorism in both countries,” Ayar said on Wednesday, while speaking at a seminar on, ‘India’s foreign policy: continuity and change’ organised by the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs (PIIA).



He said there is a lack of understanding in both the countries about terrorism and its effects. “There is dire need to understand how these attacks affect people across the borders,” he said.



The former diplomat said while India was affected by incidents like Mumbai and Pathankot attacks, Samjhauta Express incident was also a reality.

“I sometimes think about the tensions between the two countries and ask myself if it is worthwhile to kill youngsters and produce bombs,” he said.

Attired in black sherwani, Aiyar started his talk from the British era and drew a fine line between the happenings and incidents that led to the freedom movement in India.



“Before World War I, the British were dominant and were an overwhelming force, which was powerful in terms of political, economic and military means,” he said, adding that due to this dominance both Hindus and Muslims were not in a position to ask them to leave India.

British managed their position because of the lack of economic power and meager political sense of the people of the Subcontinent but then, in his opinion, came Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

“Gandhi was the most loyal person to British than anyone else,” he said, adding that Gandhi had lived most of his life in South Africa and was also awarded with the Kaisar-e-Hind medal in 1915 by the Lord Hardinge of Penshurst for his contribution to ambulance services in South Africa.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th,  2016.