Pak, India rapprochement must for regional peace

ISLAMABAD: I A Rehman, Director, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), has said that they have ideologised the differences but both India and Pakistan need to solve the mutual problems otherwise there will be no peace in the region.

Rehman was speaking at the key-note dinner address as part of 3-day 19th Sustainable Development Conference on “Sustainable Development: envisaging the future together” organised by Sustainable Development Policy Institute that started here on Tuesday.

Rehman said that none of South Asian countries is without internal problems. He said we did not complete democratisation of the system. We had a Constitution which was not implemented. He said that we were the first sinners for bringing religion in politics. He said that the moment Sri Lanka announced Buddhist state, problems started there. He said that the issue is how to salvage Pakistan where relations deterioarated amid no chance of thaw is visible.

He said that South Asia is a natural union having same food, dress, customs, and attitude towards women, same laws inherited from Britishers, same traditions and same history.He said that torture is endemic and there are hangings in South Asia. He said that women do not enjoy equal rights in any of Saarc countries. Women in Sri Lanka are slightly better followed by India. He said labour in Pakistan has got some rights that he did not have in 1947. Land reforms are a taboo here now.

I A Rehman advised to discuss the issues for finding solutions. He said that we suffered because we failed to develop South Asia disaster management mechanism. In 2005 earthquake, we could have approached our disaster-hit areas through India in Kashmir but we did not do that.

He said that exploitation of miseries and killing people across the border in attacks is sadism and criminal act.He said that common grounds can be found to solve the issues as our peoples have stake in each other’s progress. He said that the two countries are engaged in “stupid arms race by wasting money on outdated weaponry from the West.” He said our students cannot go to India and Indians cannot study here. Have a Saarc issue to the problems, he said adding that our issues should not be based on our conflicting policies.

Nisar Memon, the chairman of Water and Environment Forums, said that human security is not possible if we don’t address the issue of climate change in policies which should be more people-centric and generation-centric. Therefore, there is a need for inverse hierarchy and long communication cycle for the implementation of climate change policies and agendas, he said.

Naseer Gilani from Planning Commission of Pakistan also stressed the need for addressing trans-boundry issues like air pollution. He called for reduction in cost for regional technology transfer.

Sanjay Vishast from Climate Action Network, India, stressed regional cooperation in South Asia by suggesting investments in renewable energy source like solar panels, which are fast and efficient. He stressed that we cannot tolerate the rising temperature beyond 20 centigrade as the consequences would be hard. He also identified the need of aid to reduce 20% of the global emissions by 2020.

Shakeel Ahmed Ramay from SDPI stressed the need to bring business hubs in the Track-2 initiatives between India and Pakistan so that the issues related to energy and water scarcity can be addressed with shared interests. He advised to trim and divide the recommendations of all the Paris Agreement in to various parts and then to devise plan for implementation of the same.