The Hindu : 'Holistic vision needed to tackle Indo-Pak. issues'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jul 27, 2003

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'Holistic vision needed to tackle Indo-Pak. issues'

By K.K. Katyal

NEW DELHI JULY 26. An unusual and exciting Track-II conference to address India-Pakistan problems is to be organised in Islamabad between August 9 and 12, 2003. Unusual because it is to be held under the auspices of journalists — by a mainstream organisation of theirs, South Asia Free Media Association, through their chapters in India and Pakistan. And exciting because the participants will include parliamentarians from almost all political parties in the two countries, senior journalists and experts.

The organisers say the imbroglio between India and Pakistan "cannot be handled unless tackled head down, with a holistic vision involving all mainstream forces, powerful stakeholders and, above all, respective civil societies. The plight of their people and challenges of the present-day world warrant willingness, rethinking, dialogue and understanding at all levels". It is intended to be a closed-door, off-the-record, unofficial and all-sided exercise.

The 25 MPs who will take part in the conference are from all the parties — the BJP, the Congress, other members of the NDA, the TDP, the Left parties, the SP, the RJD, the NCP, and the Lok Janshakti Party. The four Congress MPs are: Margaret Alva, Mani Shankar Aiyar, S.C. Shukla and Rahman Khan. The BJP will send an equal number — S.S. Ahluwalia, Balbir Punj, Virendra Pal Singh and Anadi Charan Sahu. Others include Ram Jethmalani, Rajya Sabha member and head of the Kashmir Committee, along with two other journalist members. The RJD will be represented by its president, Laloo Prasad Yadav, the Lok Janshakti Party by Ram Vilas Paswan, and the SP by Akhilesh Yadav, son of Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Contrary to earlier indications, the RSS will not nominate anyone on its behalf but three of its members will attend the conference in their personal capacity. They are: Muzzafar Hussain (Mumbai), Baburao Vaidya (Nagpur) and K.P. Aggarwal (Lucknow).

The inaugural function will be addressed by the Pakistan Prime Minister, Zafarullah Khan Jamali, and the concluding function by the Foreign Minister, Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri. The Pakistani participants will include the leaders of practically all the parties. Among them will be Maulana Fazlur Rehman, head of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, who was in India recently.

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