As India celebrated its 64th independence day on Monday, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani sent out greetings to his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh.
“On behalf of myself and the people of Pakistan, I avail this opportunity to extend our greetings and felicitations to you and to the people of India on the country’s day of independence,” said Gilani in his message to Singh.
“On this day, I would like to reiterate our desire to have harmonious, cooperative and friendly relations between our two countries to achieve our shared goal of peace, progress and prosperity,” the message read.
Meanwhile, at the stroke of midnight on Sunday, a 10-member Indian delegation of journalists, civil society activists and scholars crossed over to Pakistan’s side of the Wagah Border to mark Pakistan’s Independence Day. Later, a Pakistani delegation crossed over to the Indian side to mark their day of independence.
Delegates held candles and sang songs of friendship. The Indian delegation, led by journalist Kuldip Nayar, included filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and other civil society members.
Both delegations lit candles at the Zero Point to promote peace in the region and improve bilateral relations.
“This vigil is not just to mark Independence Day but also to disseminate a message of peace and brotherhood,” said Imtiaz Alam, secretary-general of the South Asia Free Media Association (Safma).
Alam suggested that a peace park be built on Wagah Border in memory of those who lost their lives during the 1947 partition. “In this park, people from Pakistan and India should be able to sit together and have a dialogue or organise joint cultural shows,” he said.
“The new generation in both these countries wants South Asia to be the centre of the world. We can do this only when we have common interests and resolve our disputes,” said Indian delegate Professor Sucha Singh Gill, director-general of the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development.
Safma spokesperson Marium Khan said the association desired that the people of Pakistan and India move freely within the two countries so that bilateral relations are strengthened.
A musical show was also arranged at Safma Headquarters in Lahore, where Mohsin Shaukat Ali performed.
“It is always good to be here. We are neighbours and I hope that we can live like good neighbours,” said singer Hans Raj Hans, who was part of the Indian delegation.
APP (with additional reporting by Ali Usman in Lahore)
Published in The Express Tribune, August 16th, 2011.
COMMENTS (34)
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1716301900-0/image-(11)1716301900-0-270x192.webp "israeli president says saudi normalisation could be historic game changer")
good ties are not possible, util the presence of present NRO government!!!!!!!!
@Usman Malik:You ask "Which Pashtuns? Maybe Irfan Pathan or all the Khans from Bollywood :)"
Well last year a survey was conducted in Afghanistan by Pew research (whose surveys in Pakistan politics are widely quoted and respected by Pakistani media). They said that the country for which Afghans had the most favorable impression was India with 78%. Not surprisingly, US popularity was a lowly 3%. Only 1 country had a lower popularity - and that was Pakistan who polled 2$.
Anyway I am just responding to your sarcastic question. But I agree with most other posters on this forum who wish for peace and prosperity in India and Pakistan.
@Tony Singh: to hafeezullah "...This black day, (or is it night) It must have saved a lot of electricity?" It would have been a great saving but you don't save anything if you don't have it to begin with. In Pakistan, and the territories it controls, people observe "black days" when they don't have any option not to.
Good to See
Dont try to make dispute b/w each other i m Talking tp all Pakistanis and Indian. Plz already a lot of terrorists are making all this in Indi and Pakistan. so u dont try to act like terrorist. Take Care Allah hafiz
@hafeezullah: This black day, (or is it night) It must have saved a lot of electricity? I did not read anywhere there was a solar eclipse anywhere on earth.
Like rest of both sides of the line of control in Jammu & Kashmir Indian Independence Day was observed as black day in Mirpur on Monday in protest against the continued Indian occupation of Jammu & Kashmir.@Mohammad Ali Siddiqui:
Like rest of both sides of the line of control in Jammu & Kashmir Indian Independence Day was observed as black day in Mirpur on Monday in protest against the continued Indian occupation of Jammu & Kashmir. The Indian Independence Day is observed every year as black day by Jammu & Kashmir people to mark extreme resentment and indignation against the continued unlawful occupation of Jammu Kashmir state by the Indian tyrannical forces and escalating human rights abuses by the occupying forces in the Held Valley.
Like rest of both sides of the line of control in Jammu & Kashmir Indian Independence Day was observed as black day in all the cities of Azad kashmir and Indian occupied kashmir on Monday in protest against the continued Indian occupation of Jammu & Kashmir. The Indian Independence Day is observed every year as black day by Jammu & Kashmir people to mark extreme resentment and indignation against the continued unlawful occupation of Jammu Kashmir state by the Indian tyrannical forces and escalating human rights abuses by the occupying forces in the Held Valley. So the Prime minister of Pakistan should also address the problems of kashmiries in his message at the Independence day of india.
@Satish Chandra: Topic is peace here not you.
Great achievement! I think we should get rid of self fabricated damage to each other. We have to be honest to each other as well and have to give stack to people who have been starving due to buy heavy military hardware against each other. I do not know this hand shake will do something practically but we have to adopt above measures if we want to accomplish something in future.
May we see prosperity in our region (the whole South Asia).
LOL! I have to commend the haters here. Always vigilant and lurking, ready to crush the faintest glimmer of civility and hope.
Pashtunyar Afgan: If one sees the status of Pashtunistan (of Pakistan and Afganistan) and Afganistan, its miserable poverty, human development, access to S&T etc. we can understand why. It is because of people like you, With mind filled with only hatred, you only spew venom and lies, IF China has developed nuclear war heads and China fought with India in 1962, do u want India to keep quiet. IF Paksitan was a peace dove, who asked it to go nuclear,. Race starts only when somebody is trying to compete with somebody. If Pakistan has not intruded in Kashmir in 1948, things could have been different. We and our politicians are willing to forget everything and make peace gestures often. Grab it when u can like your PM. Dont get into the self consuming hate. Taliban is looking for new recruits., You can join them and vent out your feelings in Tora Bora,
@My Name is Khan: Who is fighting with NATO in Afghanistan? Are they Marathas? Who defeated your Langotia Yaar "Soviets" in Afghanistan? Were they Tamil Tigers? This is definately Pashtoons and they are no friend of yours . Don't be in any dillusion. You can never be our friend until you resolve Kaskmir and stop killing Kashmiris. And we will wrap your spy network up and investment in Afghanistan too.Let the time come. Don't you ever doubt those abilities. We do think that India is the root cause of every trouble in South Asia. Agree with pashtunyaar.
I would not accept any gretings from Pak establishment as I consider Pak establishment to be a dishonest entity.
India has said that its nuclear warheads have been emplaced in various cities/countries such as New Delhi, Washington and New York. The nuclear destruction of these three cities, with a warning that additional U.S. cities will be destroyed if there is any retaliation, is the first step in the implementation of India's National Security Doctrine. The only way the United States will be able to keep two to three additional cities from being destroyed is by doing nothing in return. Five years later India can finish the job with its coast-to-coast destruction. With the impending nuclear destruction of New Delhi, Washington and New York, nothing else matters. I am India's expert in strategic defence, the father of India's strategic program including the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program and the world's greatest scientist (my biography is in Marquis' Who's Who in the World, 2011 and earlier editions) and my blog titled 'Nuclear Supremacy For India Over U. S.', which can be found by a Yahoo search with the title, answers all questions. Satish Chandra
China is not going to like this foreign policy freelancing by the Pakistani political establishment and might even push the Pakistan military to stage a coup.
Moral of the story- people on both sides of the border want peace and prosperity, and politicians on both sides want issues to seek power. The day you, the common people of both countries, stop breeding such issues, they will lose importance and get sort out. And thus, peace and prosperity would prevail in both countries. .
peace and love and goodwill to all countries
This is good, we need this. Peace to India and Pakistan.
Remember, we three countries have much more in common than that divides us. Forgiveness, kindness, trade, cross border exchanges, travel and prosperity can help uplift all our peoples.
@My Name is Khan - Which Pashtuns? Maybe Irfan Pathan or all the Khans from Bollywood :)
Enough destruction has been made across the borders of both the countries.
It is time to reconcile, for the sake of the people of Pakistan and India.
We are first all human beings and then Pakistanis and Indians.
I request both the governments to solve the Kashmir issue amicably and without firing a single fire at any one.
We must move forward from the point of 14/15 August 1947.
Let’s accept the reality that Pakistan is next door neighbour of India and India is next door neighbour of Pakistan.
Let’s come forward and shake hand with each other for the sake of peace and prosperity in the region.
Without cooperation of both the countries with entire honesty, dignity and sovereignty of both the countries, nothing can happen.
The children of Pakistan and India are looking to each other with the hope that one day they will join hands with each other for the common benefit of Pakistan and India.
@ Pashtunyar Afghan - I really doubt you are Pashtun as most Pashtun view India quite favorably. But then again, who knows, you could be Zia-brainwashed.
Here's to the success of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.
Pushtunyar For once can you just keep your hatred to yourself!
India zindabad ; Pakistan zindabad
Vienna,15-08-2011 Yes; Pakistan Zindabad TERRORISM MURDABAD! Let the children everywhere grow up as happy ones to learn to live in harmony with nature.The best wishes of the freedom and independence are peace and prosperity. Taravadu Taranga Trust for Media Monitoring TTTMM India --Kulamarva Balakrishna
Best of Luck to both country's Prim ministers. Ye Dosti tere dum se hai, Saari Khushi tere dum se hai. "Pakistan Zindabad".
Greetings to all Pakistanis! We would like to see a prosperous and powerful Pakistan as our neighbour and hope the borders will open!