Iyer, Khurshid lead informal peace team to Pakistan

LAHORE: A 14-member Indian peace delegation is currently visiting Pakistan which includes two former ministers- Mani Shankar Aiyar and Salman Khurshid. They entered Pakistan via the Wagah Border on Friday, 13 June, to promote peace between Pakistan and India in their personal capacity, to a warm welcome by Pakistan’s former Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri whose Regional Peace Institute has invited them to attend a Pakistan-Indian Bilateral Dialogue in Islamabad on Saturday, 14 June.

Dawn reports that the Indian delegation was led by former Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar and former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and also included former Ambassador and High Commissioner N.N. Jha, NDTV’s Barkha Dutt and social activist- Dr Ved Prakash Vaidik. Visiting in their personal capacity, the delegation hopes the exchange will allow both the countries to concentrate on the welfare of their people.

Speaking to media persons, Mani Shankar Aiyer, who was born in Lahore, along with Salman Khurshid and Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri said they had been actively working to promote mutual peace between the two countries in their capacities as ministers of their respective countries but faced certain limitations in their official roles. However, they are resuming the work in their personal capacity now, without the constraints of their former offices.

Aiyar said the new Indian government had already taken the first step towards peace by inviting Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to attend the swearing-in ceremony of his counterpart Narendra Modi. Both the leaders held a dialogue and it looked like the peace process would move forward.

He said Pakistan and India had worked considerably towards mutual peace when Kasuri was the foreign minister. “There has been no such progress before and after his tenure,” he said, adding “we will reach the destination if we start our work from the point where Mr Kasuri had left.”

He said both the countries could help each other in many sectors and also jointly benefit from the vast natural resources in the gas-rich Central Asian states. “There is a need to remove misunderstandings and promote peace,” he said.

Asked which ‘powers’ did not want peace between the two countries, Mr Salman Khurshid said the delegation had come to Pakistan to promote peace and the process would continue to go forward.

When a Pakistani reporter referred to allegations of Indian involvement in Balochistan and the Karachi airport attack, he said the delegation had come with a message of peace. “Let the peace process move forward,” he told the reporter. He said somebody might have complaints, or misunderstandings but such things could be discussed some other time. “We have come here with good intentions. Let us talk good,” he said.

Khurshid said, he Mr Aiyar and Mr Kasuri wanted to utilise their experience and influence in their respective countries to bring peace to the region. “We will need your (media’s) support in whatever advancement we can make in this direction,” he said.

Mr Kasuri said both the countries had fought five wars. And they would not be able to eliminate their poverty if they continued to fight with each other.

He said during the Musharraf regime when he was the foreign minister, both the countries had come closer to peace. All major conflicts like Kashmir, Siachin and Sir Creek had come closer to a resolution. “Those in doubt should read books written in India on it,” he said.

The Indian delegation stayed at Mr Kasuri’s residence briefly and proceeded to Islamabad.

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