Bishop welcomes media initiative to promote Indo-Pak peace

The Church of Pakistan Friday hailed the joint initiative of two leading media groups in India and Pakistan to promote peace amidst strained diplomatic relations and rising tension

Rev. Samuel Robert Azariah, the Moderator of the Church of Pakistan, welcomed the joint peace initiative of the Times of India and Jang group in Pakistan, to band together people of both the nations and foster Indo-Pak dialogue.

The initiative, titled Aman Ki Asha, promises to be a revolutionary collaboration, which through "debates, discussions and the telling of stories" vies to find "commonalities and space, for compromise and adjustment, on matters that have bedevilled relations for over 60 years."

Lauding the initiative, Rev. Azariah said it reflected the desire of over 1.5 billion human beings living in Pakistan and India. He termed it the biggest gift of 2010 to the people of both the nations.

He requested the political leaders of India and Pakistan to support the initiative and use their power and position for building peace and harmony.

A joint statement by the editors of both the media houses earlier observed that peace between India and Pakistan has been "stubbornly elusive and yet tantalizingly inevitable".

"There is a collective paralysis of the will, induced by the trauma of birth, amplified by false starts, mistrust, periodic outbreaks of violence, suspicion, misplaced jingoism and diplomatic doublespeak," they said.

They, however, noted that media in India and Pakistan could speak directly to the hearts and minds of the people. "It can help in writing a final chapter, adding a happy twist to a story that seemed headed for tragedy. It can do so by shaping the discourse and steering it away from rancour and divisiveness," they said.

The statement added: "It has the maturity to recognize the irritants and obstacles to peace and will not take a timid stance towards the more intractable and contentious issues â€" whether relating to Kashmir, water disputes or the issue of cross-border terrorism. It can offer solutions and nudge the leadership towards a sustained peace process."

Rev. Azariah announced his whole-hearted support for the media endeavor and said he would goad his counterparts to do the same during his forthcoming visit to India.

He expressed his hope to talk to the leadership of Church of North and South India to organise peace visits between both the countries.

India and Pakistan have a long and complicated history with regular skirmishes since the partition in 1947.

Last year's Mumbai terror strikes had evidently pushed the two nations on the brink of another war despite four already fought.