Daily Times

Islamabad: People-to-people contact is the need of the hour for a breakthrough in Indo-Pak ties, said renowned Indian activist, writer and journalist OP Shah.

Shah, who is currently on a visit to Pakistan, made these remarks while addressing a session at Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Monday where journalist, academia and civil society representatives were present in large numbers.

“It is high time that people on both sides of Wagah border think in-depth and play their role for friendly relations not only between India and Pakistan but also between Hindus and Muslims,” said Shah who has been working since long for brining the people of two countries closer.

Some 20 years ago we started this struggle with some Pakistani academia and writers to mitigate the hostility between the two countries. But unfortunately the communication gap between people on both sides of the border swelled, which was not a good sign for the future of both countries,” he recalled.

Referring to the tense situation at the Line of Control (LoC), Shah said Kashmiris on both sides of the border should hold peaceful protests to mount pressure on the two governments to find a solution to the issue.

Replying to a question about the radical Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP)’s behaviour towards Muslim community, Shah said that the BJP’s defeat in the recent Gorakhpur by-polls had ignited hopes that the radicalisation was dying down.

He said that the media on both sides was creating mistrust on the pretext of freedom, which was an alarming sign for the people of the two countries. He said that the media on both sides should arrange a healthy debate to find a way forward. He said that the media on both sides should not publish or air news on speculations as most of the people in the sub-continent lack approach of investigation and react to what was being published or aired.

“Currently, the situation is much volatile as compared to the past given the denial of visas to people wishing to visit Pakistan and India,” he said, adding that both the governments, media and civil society should introspect genuinely to recognise and address concerns for normalcy as war is no option to the prevailing issues.

To another question, Shah said that enhanced interaction between the people through a secular approach was the only solution to hostility between Hindus and Muslims. “When we started iftar parties in Kolkata for Muslims only four people came in, but now hundreds of people were attending iftar parties. He said people on both sides should celebrate their festivals collectively to eradicate negative tendencies.

He said that a healthy dialogue involving all stakeholders could was essential to address Kashmir issue as war and jingoism would harm both countries.

He concluded the session, saying: “Both armies should exercise restraint and think twice before making comments on political issues.”

Published in Daily Times, March 20^th 2018.