Indian, Pakistani MPs back meeting between Prime Ministers

The lawmakers hope the two Prime Ministers will meet in New York to keep open doors for peace and good relations between the two countries

A group of Indian and Pakistani parliamentarians today strongly pitched for a meeting between the Prime Ministers of the two countries on the margins of the UN General Assembly to keep doors of peace open.

A delegation of 13 Indian MPs from eleven parties, including the BJP, is here for a Track-II dialogue with their Pakistani counterparts.

The lawmakers "expressed hope that the two Prime Ministers meet in New York to keep open doors for peace and good relations between Pakistan and India", said a joint statement issued after the Pakistan-India Parliamentarians Dialogue-V.

They "urged the two governments to sustain the resumed dialogue between the two countries to speed up the process of achieving durable peace, recognising at the same time the need for serious action on issues of concern for reinforcing the continuity of the dialogue process".

Highlighting the need for a holistic approach to conflict resolution, the MPs asked the two governments to engage on all issues, including those related to Jammu and Kashmir.

The leader of the Indian delegation, Mani Shankar Aiyar, made it clear the group could only give advice to the government but a final decision will be made by the executive.

BJP leader Kirti Azad, part of the delegation, underlined the need for talks but said Pakistan must address India's concerns.

Aiyar expressed happiness at Pakistan's first ever democratic transition and said the peace constituency here is increasing.

The Pakistani side consisted of 50 MPs representing almost all political parties.