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| Indian goodwill team arrives in Pakistan |
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| momineqbal |
| 08/09/03 at 20:27:12 |
| http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=122737 Indian goodwill team arrives in Pakistan YUDHVIR RANA TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SATURDAY, AUGUST 09, 2003 05:45:46 PM ] WAGAH: Reciting Urdu poetry, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief and former Bihar chief minister Laloo Prasad Yadav, along with 33 other Parliamentarians, scribes and strategists, crossed over to Pakistan at the Wagah border on Saturday. "Fakr hain, diwane hain, duniyan ko samjhane nikle hain. (We are proud, we are passionate, we have embarked on this noble cause)," he said. The delegation arrived at Amritsar by Swaran Shatabdi train from Delhi and crossed the border at around 4 pm. They were given a warm welcome by a huge crowd that had gathered to have a glimpse of Laloo Yadav. The delegation of MPs, strategic experts and journalists are on a peace mission to Pakistan, as part of an a non-official peace bid. They will be participating in a two-day conference organised by the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) from Sunday to explore mutual ways to resolve Indo-Pak tension. A clear favourite of the media, Laloo appeared little irritated and even tried to snatch the microphones of a the media persons gathered at the border. In his typical Bihari parlance, Laloo quipped, "Bus kai baar challi, kai baar puncture hui (The bus link began several times, and several times got grounded)". He adding that the peaceniks were on a mission to create a cordial atmosphere between two countries so that the official level talks could yield desirable results. He said this was an unofficial peace mission, but he wanted to take the message of peace "from Bihar to Lahore". A large number of Muslims from Bihar were settled in Pakistan and their families were divided across the border, he said. He also admitted that he was not very keen on the mission, but had been pressurised to travel to Pakistan by the media. The wall of hatred between the two countries should would come down like the wall of Berlin, he hoped. Laloo said they would be meeting ruling and Opposition leaders of Pakistan. When asked about the likely outcome of their trip, Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Shukla, too sounded optimistic, saying, "Nothing can be ruled out. Nothing can be predicted about the Indo-Pak relations." However, he strongly advocated that the endeavour to strike peace must be continued at all level. Ram Jethmalani said, "What cannot be achieved officially can be achieved through unofficial channels", adding that the visit of Pak hardliner Fazlur Rahman was not less than a miracle. Ram Vilas Paswan said people-to-people contact yeilded more responses as in the case of baby Noor which turned into a 'heart-to-heart contact'. The money, which both countries spend on defence, could be used for development of the people of the two countries and eradicating poverty, he emphasised. [img]http://www.telegraphindia.com/1030810/images/10laloo.jpg[/img] |
| 08/09/03 at 20:28:24 |
| momineqbal |
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board |