'Berlin Wall' needs to be demolished

Mumbai: Journalists from India and Pakistan have agreed to halt the use of "hate" language when writing stories concerning the two countries. As part of the Mumbai Press Club's Karachi Week celebration, a 14-member delegation of TV and newspaper journalists attended a meeting on the role of the media in India-Pakistan relations on Tuesday.

They reached a consensus on softening their language to help improve relations.

Press club president Gurbir Singh likened the barrier between India and Pakistan to the Berlin Wall. "This has to be demolished," he said.

‘Traditional rivals'

Karamat Ali, executive director of the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research, pointed out that in cricketing terms the nations were always described as "traditional rivals".

"Even in Pakistan, the Urdu media refers to them as ‘azli dushman' which means eternal rivals, as if we have been enemies right from the creation of the world," he said.

Ali also called for felt both governments to allow visas on arrival to the other's citizens, easing the movement of people and going a long way to establishing peace.

Peace and harmony

Taher Hassan Khan, president of Karachi Press Club, said: "We are the people and we report to the people. "We, the media persons, should report on people-related developments and contribute to maintaining peace and harmony between our nations."

Meanwhile, Singh said he hope the visit would be the first of many exchanges between members of the media from the two countries.