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Resolve differences to push ahead peace process: Sharif
Peace process and cooperation between India and Pakistan will continue to suffer if the Kashmir issue, differences on sharing of river waters and the Sir Creek boundary dispute are not resolved, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Sunday.
During his meeting with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, Sharif said wars are a thing of the past and the two countries will have to compete with each other in healthy ways in fields like agriculture, tourism and commerce.
Sharif, a top leader of the PML-N party that rules Punjab, “made it clear that unless and until the Kashmir dispute and water and Sir Creek are not resolved, the peace process and other areas of cooperation will continue to suffer.”
Noting that wars are a thing of the past, Sharif said: “I am looking forward to hosting a sports festival in Lahore in the coming months in which hockey, kabaddi and wrestling teams from India will also participate,” according to a statement issued by Sharif’s office.
Sharif expressed his delight at the new visa agreement signed by Pakistan and India on Saturday.
Krishna, who spent the final day of his three-day visit in Pakistan’s cultural capital of Lahore, made a special mention of the efforts by PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif in initiating the peace process with India in 1999 and inviting then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to come to Lahore by bus.
Krishna also met Punjab Governor Latif Khosa, who said both Pakistan and India are atomic powers and cannot afford war and hatred.
“Every fifth person in the world is either Indian or Pakistani. Terrorists have no religion and the peace process between the two countries should not be halted now,” said Khosa, a senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party.
Khosa suggested that lectures by Indian intellectuals and academicians could be arranged through video conferencing in 41 universities of Punjab province.
Earlier, on his arrival in Lahore following talks with the top leaders of the federal government, Krishna said: “Well, all this is going to help foster a much more cordial relationship between our two countries.”
“It is my earnest desire and the desire of Manmohan Singh, the PM of India, and the people of India that we would like to see a stable, peaceful, progressive Pakistan as our neighbour because that will mean quite a bit to the entire region,” he said
Peace process and cooperation between India and Pakistan will continue to suffer if the Kashmir issue, differences on sharing of river waters and the Sir Creek boundary dispute are not resolved, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif said on Sunday.
During his meeting with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, Sharif said wars are a thing of the past and the two countries will have to compete with each other in healthy ways in fields like agriculture, tourism and commerce.
Sharif, a top leader of the PML-N party that rules Punjab, “made it clear that unless and until the Kashmir dispute and water and Sir Creek are not resolved, the peace process and other areas of cooperation will continue to suffer.”
Noting that wars are a thing of the past, Sharif said: “I am looking forward to hosting a sports festival in Lahore in the coming months in which hockey, kabaddi and wrestling teams from India will also participate,” according to a statement issued by Sharif’s office.
Sharif expressed his delight at the new visa agreement signed by Pakistan and India on Saturday.
Krishna, who spent the final day of his three-day visit in Pakistan’s cultural capital of Lahore, made a special mention of the efforts by PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif in initiating the peace process with India in 1999 and inviting then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to come to Lahore by bus.
Krishna also met Punjab Governor Latif Khosa, who said both Pakistan and India are atomic powers and cannot afford war and hatred.
“Every fifth person in the world is either Indian or Pakistani. Terrorists have no religion and the peace process between the two countries should not be halted now,” said Khosa, a senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party.
Khosa suggested that lectures by Indian intellectuals and academicians could be arranged through video conferencing in 41 universities of Punjab province.
Earlier, on his arrival in Lahore following talks with the top leaders of the federal government, Krishna said: “Well, all this is going to help foster a much more cordial relationship between our two countries.”
“It is my earnest desire and the desire of Manmohan Singh, the PM of India, and the people of India that we would like to see a stable, peaceful, progressive Pakistan as our neighbour because that will mean quite a bit to the entire region,” he said
