Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 14: The cross-LoC civil society dialogue organised by Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation (CDR), New Delhi, began here today. About 70 luminaries from different walks of life from PoK, Gilgit-Baltistan and Jammu & Kashmir, are participating in the conference.
In her welcome note, Sushobha Barve, Executive Director, CDR, said, “as an Indian and a South Asian I am deeply unhappy about the social, political and physical barriers that we have created that are preventing people from meeting and talking to one another. These barriers are unacceptable. The civil society has to put all its efforts to bring down every such barrier to create spaces, explore ways and means to find solutions that have eluded us for the past six decades.”
The inaugural session was chaired by retd. Air Marshall Kapil Kak. He made a plea that entry and exit points between the two parts of the erstwhile princely State should be made flexible.
Other speakers included Justice (retd) Abdul Majid Malik, Justice (retd) Bilal Nazki, former Chief Justice of Orissa High Court, Amina Bibi, Legislature from Gilgit Baltistan and Anil Gupta, Senior Advocate.
Justice (retd) Majid Malik said that he hoped the gathering could convey a message to all those forces who were against peace, that here was a group committed and dedicated to peace. He said his very presence in Jammu, where he could exchange views with friends, filled him with inspiration. He hoped that both India and Pakistan would realise that people of Jammu and Kashmir have legitimate demands like free communication, free movement and free expression.
Justice (retd) Bilal Nazki hoped that the dialogue could result in a consensus which can be presented to the Governments of India and Pakistan.
Advocate Anil Gupta called for a cultural exchange across the LoC, which would include students exchange as well.
Amina Bibi recalled her roots in Kargil and called for reopening of traditional trade routes that had existed earlier between Kargil and Skardu.
Aziz Ahmed Khan, former Pakistan High Commissioner to India said that he was impressed by the personalities, who were participating in the conference from both sides. For some of them coming from across the LoC to Jammu has been an emotional moment. He stated civil society had a very important role to play in bridging the divide.
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