‘NGOs in Pakistan, India must help foster peace’

Mumbai, December 24

If the governments of Pakistan and India are not doing much to further the bilateral ties, then people and organisations, including NGOs, should take up the initiative, said the CEO of a leading media group based in Karachi today.

Hameed Haroon, CEO of Dawn Media Group, said there has to be a people’s movement, as it was during the freedom struggle, to take forward India-Pakistan relations.

“Fishermen have now become symbols of the munificence of India and Pakistan. India releases so many fishermen and so does Pakistan. To make fishermen slaves of the security state and our anger isn’t right,” he said.

On fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, he said the don did not live in Pakistan though he reportedly visited the country often. “As far as I know, Dawood Ibrahim is not a resident of Pakistan. I am told he visits Pakistan regularly. I am told he spends time in Dubai and South Africa.”

Haroon was responding to a query after a discussion on ‘India and Pakistan: How to make the recent breakthrough in bilateral talks irreversible’, organised by the Mumbai Press Club and the Observer Research Foundation this evening.

“Dawood is a murderer. The government should move against all murderers,” he said, adding that “I think of Dawood as a singularly unpleasant chap. I have never seen him.” — PTI