Amid tension, Pakistan Hindu MP calls for peace with India

Islamabad: A Hindu parliamentarian from Pakistan Saturday made a fervent appeal to the governments of India and Pakistan to defuse tension in the wake of the Pulwama attack, saying New Delhi will benefit the most if the two neighbours joined hands.
Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, a member of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), offered to play the role of a mediator between the two governments and expressed hope that the two countries “don’t indulge in any blame game and together move ahead on the path of peace and prosperity”.
The patron of the Pakistan Hindu Council was in India as part of a 220-member delegation from 185 countries who attended the Kumbh Mela on an invite of the government.
The two countries should not allow the use of their soils against each other, Vankwani said, adding that India would benefit the most if the two countries joined hands.
On the rising tension post the attack, the lawmaker from Pakistan premier Imran Khan’s party said his government “does not want such a situation”.
“If you have any apprehension, tell me about it. I will share it with my government. I will also speak to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in this regard,” he said.
Vankwani said he shares a spiritual connection with India and visits the country twice every year, even if it’s not a government-sponsored trip.
Forty nine CRPF personnel were killed and many wounded when a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into their bus in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir on February 14.
The Indian government has been working diplomatic channels to “isolate Pakistan” at international forums for “providing support to terrorism.”