By Amar Guriro
KARACHI: Politicians, intellectuals, journalists and human rights and peace activists paid rich tributes to senior journalist and peace activist Mohammad Baqir Naqvi and also demanded resumption of peace talks between Pakistan and India without wasting any further time.
In a resolution passed on the occasion of a condolence reference to pay tributes to late Naqvi, the participants welcomed the recent initiatives of the Indian government to start dialogue with Pakistan.
The condolence reference was organised by the Pakistan Peace Coalition and Karachi Press Club at the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs. The resolution demanded both the governments of India and Pakistan, particularly the foreign ministers, to stop issuing statements to the media at this time.
Addressing the condolence reference, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Secretary General IA Rahman said that Naqvi possessed a specialty in writing on economic issues and policies. Recalling his association with Naqvi, he said the late journalist claimed much more audience in India than Pakistan. Naqvi had a commitment for the rights of marginalised people. He said Naqvi was a supporter of anti-nuclearisation movement in South Asia. Nobody is writing on peace that way,” he said.
Pakistani envoy in the UN Hussain Haroon said that Naqvi had a quality to bring the people of India and Pakistan together. Quoting a recent United Nations survey, he said till the end of 2009, about 55 million people would be living below the poverty line throughout the world. Political analyst and senior journalist of India Javed Naqvi said both India and Pakistan should initiate peace dialogue. No one wants war, he said. He appreciated the services of Naqvi and said the late journalist was an anti-nuclear writer.
HRCP Co-Chairman Syed Iqbal Haider appealed to the government to give Naqvi the highest civil award in recognition of his services for journalism as well as for regional peace.
Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Karachi Saquib Ali paid rich tributes to the Pakistani writer and appreciated his journalistic writings for regional peace.
Senior Indian journalist and peace activist Kuldip Nayar was scheduled to speak at the condolence reference, but due to indisposition of his wife he could not come to Pakistan. In his message read out by Zeenat Hisam, he said knew Naqvi for 40 years and met him as often as possible, either in India or Pakistan.
The speakers demanded that the Navies of India and Pakistan must stop arresting each other’s fishermen. “We also urge both the governments to release all the fishermen in jails and those who have completed their sentence in the prisons.”
Source: Daily Times
Date:2/10/2010
