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1st Indo-Pak parliamentary conference raises hopes

The first Indo-Pak parliamentary conference, being inaugurated by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief on Friday at Islamabad, will discuss measures to stabilise nuclear regime in the South Asian region and explore areas of cooperation between the two neighbouring nations.

The two-day conference, being organised by the Jung group of newspapers, will be attended by parliamentarians belonging to various political shades and it will help them understand each other's approach and view points on crucial security and other issues.

A high-level Indian delegation, which includes Dr Balram Jakhar, Kapil Sibal, S M Krishnan, Sushma Swaraj, K R Malkani and Arif Mohammed Khan will participate in the conference. Senior Pakistan parliamentarians, including speaker Illahi Baksh Soomro, Aftab Sherpo Khan, Benazir Bhutto and Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri are attending this conference, which will devote its deliberation on preventing arms race in the region and finding solution to the disputes between the two countries.

This is for the first time that such a high level non- governmental conference is being convened with an aim to find ways and means to improve relations between India and Pakistan.

The visit of the parliamentarian will be followed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's bust travel to Lahore on February 20, which is expected to give desired push to normalisation of ties between the two nations.

There will be several close door sessions during the conference where parliamentarians will exchange views on eradicating poverty and stepping up economic cooperation, Imtiaz Alam of The News said in a statement.

UNI

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