Let's Keep Crossing the Border

By Ali Waqar - Daily Times - Lahore, Pakistan
Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Nirmala Deshpande, chairperson of the Association of Peoples of Asia and founder of Indo-Pak Parliamentary Forum for Peace, said on Tuesday that India and Pakistan had come a long way in making truce and their efforts were irreversible because people of both sides strongly wanted peace.

Deshpande returned to India on Tuesday by walking through Wagah border.

She was in Lahore and Kasur for three days with an Indian delegation of 50 peace activists. The delegation comprising social and political activists, academicians and parliamentarians, especially came to Pakistan to attend the three-day urs (death anniversary) at Kasur of Baba Bulleh Shah, renowned Sufi saint and Punjabi poet.

Bulleh Shah International Forum invited the delegation.

Deshpande was staying at the house of Brig (r) Rao Abid Hameed, a peace activist. Talking about the visit, she said this was the second visit by big Indian delegations to Pakistan in the last three years for attending the urs.

She said the poet was an international legend, and his work was praised everywhere, especially in India, where his poetry was translated to more than 20 regional languages.

She said Bulleh Shah was a universal saint and that so was every other Sufi, as each of them had a universal peace message. She said during a Bulleh Shah seminar at Kasur that the Indian delegates were thinking of launching Bulleh Shah International Foundation in India also.

She said setting up Bulleh Shah University was also under consideration, and if the idea materialised, Sufi saints' messages could be imparted much more effectively.

She said all the delegates were very pleased with the hospitality they were given by the various Pakistani hosts that had offered them places to stay. She said that the urs was also so well organised and that she and the delegates were overwhelmed by warm treatment they were given.

She said a wreath of flowers was laid on the grave of the saint on behalf of Delhi chief minister Sheila Dixit, deputy speaker of Lok Sabha Charanjit Singh Atwal and deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha K Rehman Khan.

Deshpande said that in India, it was the Rakhi festival day on Tuesday. She said that for the festival, the delegates had brought a lot of sweets and Rakhies with them.

She said about Indo-Pak peace that the progress was slow, but would expedite if people of both countries kept crossing the border.

Regarding role of Association of Peoples of Asia, Deshpande said it was working on enhancing contact amongst people. She said the association had also planned a seminar on peace in September in which parliamentarians of both countries could participate.