New Delhi, Aug 18: A group of parliamentarians who recently visited Pakistan have favoured "uninterrupted" Indo-Pak dialogue covering all issues and joint steps to remove the "major road block" of cross-border terrorism in the path of peace. Fourteen MPs, who undertook the journey at the invitation of the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA), said in a joint statement here today there was a strong desire for peace and cooperation with India.
There was need for India to embark on an "uninterrupted and uninterruptible" dialogue with Pakistan, said the MPs, who had interaction with President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali. "Let the dialogue cover every issue of concern to both our countries. This includes, in the first place, our concern about cross-border terrorism, which unfortunately persists inspite of declared policy of Pakistan government," it said.
But let this concern not stall the dialogue and joint steps be devised to remove this major road block of cross-border terrorism in the path of peace, they stressed.
The MPs included Laloo Prasad Yadav, Ram Vilas Paswan, Ram Jethmalani, Margaret Alva, Mani Shankar Aiyar, Rajiv Shukla, Balbir Punj, Ramnath Kovind, Vijayendra Pal Singh, Anadi Charan Sahu, Rahman Khan, Ram Chandra Paswan, Swaraj Kaushal and Prem Chand Gupta. Observing that the response of the Pakistani people to their visit was overwhelming, the MPs said the feeling across the borders was that acrimony and bitterness between the two sides should be jettisoned so that people could live together as good neighbours. Bureau Report