Parliamentarians in action: Pakistan, Indian MPs vow to build dialogue bridge

Pass a resolution, urging both govts to resolve issues, including Kashmir.

ISLAMABAD:

Parliamentarians from Pakistan and India on Friday pledged to build an environment of peace through dialogue and renewed their resolve to continue the dialogue process and sensitise the relationship between the two countries.

These views were expressed by representatives of as many as 11 political parties from India and seven political parties of Pakistan at the end of the two-day 5th round of Parliamentarians’ Dialogue in Islamabad, arranged by Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency.

The South Asian parliamentarians also underlined that the people and the governments of both the countries wanted peace and stability in the region, but some ‘hostile forces’ wanted to derail the peace process.

The participants also passed a 16-point joint resolution at the end and urged both the governments to take steps for resolving bilateral issues, including Kashmir, through dialogue.

The resolution called upon the two governments to sustain the resumed dialogue and speed up the process of achieving durable peace.

“We are not the government, but as politicians and parliamentarians, we can only give suggestions and recommendations to the governments for building an environment of peace and stability between the two countries,” said Mani Shankar Aiyar, a former diplomat turned politician, while addressing the media.

Indian parliamentarians also tried to dispel the impression that political parties from India always followed a policy of ‘bashing Pakistan’ to gain political mileage during elections.

“There are no two opinions that the Pak-India friendship should continue. There are some problems that we [Indians] have to resolve and we will definitely correct them. But we also desire Pakistan to take some measures that can prove to be beneficial for our mutual friendship,” Kirti Azad, an Indian MP from Bharatiya Janata Party said.

Former foreign minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf vice president Shah Mehmood Qureshi said, “Both sides want peace and stability, but there is a ‘trust deficit’ between the two countries and parliamentarians, civil society and media should play their role to bridge this gap.”

The parliamentarians expressed hope that the meeting between the two premiers in New York would keep doors open for peace and good relations between Pakistan and India.

The two sides also recognised that the Indus Water Treaty was the best guarantee of resolving any possible issues of water resources between the two countries.

Parliamentarians also discussed the huge potential for bilateral trade, now running at over $2 billion, and said that the trade had the potential to rise to at least $10 billion if all agreements were implemented expeditiously.

The parliamentarians also agreed upon further improvement in trade and economic cooperation between the two countries including opening of bank branches and welcomed the improvement agreed to the Visa Regime but underscored the critical importance of urgent implementation.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 21^st, 2013.