Kasur (AsiaNews) – Christian and Muslim representatives marched to the India-Pakistan border to state their desire and support for peace and dialog initiatives between the two nations. 

The march took place yesterday evening, Jan. 13, in Kasur, 55 km south of Lahore where hundreds of Muslims and dozens of Catholics and Protestants rallied together. At the end of the march, participants lighted a symbolic torch and planted a tree for peace at the border. Christian, Sunni and Shiite religious leaders offered prayers and expressed their hopes. The rally was organized by the National Catholic Commission for Inter-religious Dialog and Ecumenicalism.   

Fr. Inayat Bernard, Kasur parish priest, linked the gestures to hopes which began after the South Asian Association for Region Cooperation (SAARC) met last week in Islamabad, ending with the news of talks between India and Pakistan and the decision to work together for development in the region. 

Fr. Francis Nadeem, OFM, the Commission's executive secretary, underscored the value of the SAARC conference: "Pakistanis want peace in the region…If there's peace in India and Pakistan, then there will be development in all aspects of life".

The head of the Lahore mosque, Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad, in turn said: "Islam is (about) love and peace, and Pakistan's Muslim community wants to support the government's peace process and people's good intentions."

The initiation of discussions between India and Pakistan has coincided with the reopening of airline routes. In recent days, the use of the bus line connecting Lahore and New Delhi has been reinstated. On the 15th of this month the train connection will also start up again.  

Maulana Waqar-ul-Husnain Naqvi, a representative of the Shiite community, said that increase in contact between India and Pakistan is likely evidence that "we want peace in our region." And referring to the peace torch lit, he said: "I hope that this flame of peace will be lighted in Ayodia and the Kashmir region."  Ayodia is an Indian city where Hindus and Muslims have clashed alternately over a mosque that Hindu fundamentalists claim to be an ancient Hindu temple. "The Berlin wall fell and created a single monetary unit. Hence, I hope that we will knock down the wall of hatred (between us) and launch the single currency of Peace," said the Shiite representative.

In the end, while two doves were released, Br. Khalid Mir read a prayer dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi. Everyone appreciated the cooperation of the border guards who granted the group permission to arrive right up to the boardline.

Pakistan has a population of 143 million inhabitants, 75% of which are Sunni Muslims and 20% Shiites. Christians form 2% of the population, with Catholics numbering about 1.2 million.  (IB)

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