India, Pakistan should remain firm to defeat negative forces: ex Pak Foreign Minister

Chandigarh: India and Pakistan should remainfirm to not let the dialogue process get affected by "negative forces" and should encourage people-to-people contact and cultural exchanges to maintain normal bilateral relations, former Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri said on Sunday.

Addressing a function here and later replying to questions from the gathering, Kasuri said, "We should not allow ourselves to be hostage to those who do not want peace. If we have to defeat the terrorists and negative forces, both sides should stick to and remain firm that they will keep talking (to each other) no matter what."

"And I believe that if we give boost to bilateral trade, have liberal visa regime, encourage people-to-people contact, have more cultural exchanges and play cricket and other sports, we can defeat these negative forces or push them in a position where they will be rendered weak," he said.

Speaking on the topic 'Strengthening Relationship Between India and Pakistan', Kasuri, whose book "Neither A Hawk Nor A Dove" has hit the stands in India, recalled the 2005 India-Pakistan joint statement, which spoke of the irreversibility of the peace process.

Kasuri, who proceeded to Mumbai this evening after the function here to take part in his book launch function there despite Shiv Sena's opposition, said that in his book he has listed nine near war situations between the two nuclear neighbours including three major ones.

Asserting that it will be "sheer madness" if the two nations even think of going to war now, Kasuri, who was Pakistan's Foreign Minister between 2002 and 2007, said the two nations had witnessed biggest mobilisation since second World War nearly fifteen years back.

"For 11 months, we had 11 million soldiers standing eyeball to eyeball... No problem can be solved by war.

Ultimately, one has to sit across the negotiating table. Now, only a mad person can think about going to war. Both nations have nuclear weapons, missiles, strike capabilities... "We have to make it clear to them (negative forces) that we want to continue (talks). And the space for them will shrink," he said.