Prominent artist and peace activist Jimmy Engineer has reiterated his call for lasting and durable peace between India and Pakistan as this would usher in an era of progress, development and prosperity for their people in particular and for the other countries of the region in general.
In a telephonic conversation with a group of journalists, Jimmy Engineer said that durable and lasting peace between the two countries is possible only through resolving the Kashmir issue amicably and removing all other irritants one by one through process of dialogue in the larger interests of the two countries.
He said there can be no peace between the two countries till Kashmir issue is resolved, all other irritants sorted out and removed. He said 100 percent people in India and Pakistan want peace. He said there can hardly be lasting and durable peace between the two countries even if 99 percent of people want peace and nominal one percent is opposed to it.
Asked to comment on India and Pakistan Foreign Ministers' level talks recently held in New Delhi, Jimmy Engineer said that he is neither a politician nor interested in politics in any manner to offer comments on such matters. He, however, added that as a peace activist he sincerely desires and wishes that peace should prevail all over the world in general and between India and Pakistan in particular in the larger interests of the region.
He pointedly stated that he had started the peace initiative at the peoples' level when he had undertaken in 2001 solo spiritual walk for peace from Islamabad to New Delhi. He said that during the walk, which was somehow, had to be terminated on Wagah Border on Pakistan side after sudden flaring up of tension and cutting off all road, rail and air links between the two countries, he had worn specially designed white dress with miniature flags of India and Pakistan inscribed at chest level. He maintained that this was something which nobody could dare think even then.