(Times of India, March 24, 2005)
Indo-Pak march starts from Nizamuddin
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2005 11:53:39 PM ]
NEW DELHI: A walk into the hearts of people. That’s the aim of the Indo-Pak Peace March which kicked off on Wednesday.
The walk which started after an offering at the Nizamuddin Dargah in Delhi, aims to touch Multan in Pakistan by May 11.
The walk, which has been organised by citizen groups of India and Pakistan saw tremendous support from both sides of the border.
Various prominent personalities like Mahesh Bhatt, Nafisa Ali, SAR Geelani could be seen expressing their solidarity.
"Each drop is important for the ocean to be full. It is an attempt to reach the masses," said actor Nandita Das.
"The governments of Pakistan and India have not been very supportive of the attempt. 43 citizens from Pakistan have not been granted visas to come to India. A list of 114 Indians is also awaiting the approval of the Indian government. But we still hope for the success of this walk," said Dr Sandeep Pandey, the coordinator from India.
"The basic aim is to dispel the notion of animosity created by politicians to serve their interests. It is an attempt to bring people together at the grassroots level and make them realise how similar we are," said Dr A H Nayyar from Pakistan.
Other marchers from Pakistan who were participating in the walk were Irfan Mufti and Muqtida A K Masoor.
