Lahore:
Former Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, and his eminent Indian and peace activist, Ashis Ray, underlined the urgent need for dialogue and improvement of relations between Pakistan and India at a high -level event held at Lahore Thursday Thursday
The event, assisted by leading media personalities, retired civil and military officials, academics and civil society members, stressed the challenges and opportunities to promote peace between the two nuclear arms neighbors.
Kasuri, who was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan from 2002 to 2007, opened the session by reflecting on the tumultuous history of Pakistani-Indian relations. He noted that although the relationship has seen ups and downs, the current state is one of the worst in history, except real war times.
He attributed this decline to increasing nationalist rhetoric in India, which was used to polarize voters through anti-Muslim, anti-Pakistani and anti-Bangladesh feelings.
However, Kasuri remained optimistic, recalling the past cases where relations improved unexpectedly, such as the surprise visit of former president Pervez Musharraf to New Delhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Lahore in 2015. “Dialogue, dialogue, dialogue is the only way to go,” said Kasuri.
He warned that terrorism is a threat equal to the two countries and could undermine any potential diplomatic progress.
Kasuri also stressed the importance of resolving the Jammu and cashmere dispute, referring to the four-point formula (in fact including 11 to 12 points) which was almost agreed during the 2004-2008 peace process.
Speaking on the occasion, Ashis Ray, a journalist, author and new snow new based in London, Subhas Chandra Bose, delivered the speech. Ray, who is the author of “The Trial That Shook Britain”, a book on the Essays of Red Fort soldiers of the Indian National Army in 1945-1946, underlined the shared history and the cultural ties between the two nations.
He proposed a three -point plan to promote the connections of people to people. This includes the use of technology to bring together artists, filmmakers and musicians from the two countries; Allowing Pakistani crickets to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Indian cricket players to participate in the Super League (PSL) of Pakistan and to encourage joint ventures in neutral places if direct exchanges are not achievable.
Ray also underlined the economic potential of improving relations, citing a World Bank study in 2023 which revealed that 85% of the unrealized commercial potential of Pakistan resides in India. “If trade can benefit the two countries, why haven’t we seized the opportunity?” He asked.
