KARACHI: Senior journalists and writers expressed their glumness for any potential improvement of relationship between two major neighbours’ countries, Pakistan and India, because of increasing onslaughts in the media of both the countries.

Senior journalist and columnist Wusatullah Khan, Senior journalist and analyst Mazhar Abbas and columnist and author Ms. Zahida Hina were the speaking at a seminar on “Indo-Pak Relations and Role of Media” organized by Pakistan-India Peoples Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) under Peace Now and Forever Campaign at HRCP office here on Friday.

Wusatullah Khan recalled the killings of innocent people in both India and Pakistan at the time of partition. According to him it was the first bloodies partition in the world. But, he said, everyone knows the fact of communal riots but no one can identify the killers. “No killer was arrested either in India or in Pakistan after the partition,” he said adding that neither history of Pakistan nor history books of India tells us.

“In 1998 I visited East Punjab and tried to spend some time with 80-90 year old people and asked if they knew anybody who was involved in riots and killings.” He said out of 250 people, he interviewed, only one person told me he knew only one directly. All of them said they did not know who were the killers and where from they came.

In our side, he said our books tell Sikhs and Hindus had killed Muslims, but no one knows where the hundreds of thousands of Hindus and Sikhs went.

He advised if we scan newspapers of the time of partition, Urdu newspapers were publishing only news about Muslim killings in Ahmedabad, Banaras and other cities. “I don’t know what was being published in India about Pakistan,” he added.

The demarcation, which was created at the time of partition still exists in 4^th and 5^th generation of us, he said adding that society in Pakistan and India is not interested to talk about any peace. Working relationship in an office is essential, but if there is one cause so there should be some working relationship. “Are we in a position to do it between India and Pakistan,” he asked. According to him, the first generation of people like Nehru and Liaquat Ali Khan knew the reality, they could have done created a working relationship. “At this time they did not make efforts,” he added.

Senior journalist Mazhar Abbas said India is politically stronger than Pakistan but extremism is increasing there. Anchors in Indian Media are more extremists than Pakistanis, he added. “We know Pakistani artists are facing violence in India, but no Indian actor or artist has faced any opposition during their visit to Pakistan.

“We still see Indian movies in all Pakistani cinemas, but we don’t know how many Pakistani films are screened in Indian cinemas,” he added.

According to Mazhar Abbas Pakistan and India’s foreign policies are driven by the respective media of both the countries. “We don’t receive many news about the happenings in India and same is the situation about happening in Pakistan.”

He said despite the fact Indian media is independent but the independent media is also not allowed to visit Indian-held Kashmir and report violation of the human rights. Mazhar Abbas said media has expanded in such a way that we are unable to control. But people make opinion according to what is being shown on the media.

He pointed out that there is no concept of regretted or apology in the electronic media. In 1971 War our media’s narrative was different from what was being written in India.

Zahida Hina said written words are dangerous. She said both the countries are spending millions of rupees for purchase of tanks and aircraft. She said people of both the countries are facing poverty and exclusions.

She said the difference in India and Pakistan is that Pakistan was created by Muslim League. It is incorrect to say that a separate country was demanded for all Muslims.

“We have to say about grey areas,” she said that Kashmir’s issue became difficult when we made it issue of Muslims