Majority of Indians, Pakistanis want peace between both countries
By ANISaturday, January 2, 2010
ISLAMABAD - Despite the continuous hostility between the two countries, a majority of the billion and a half people of India and Pakistan want to live as peaceful and friendly neighbours, recent opinion surveys conducted by the Jang Group and the Times of India Group in Pakistan and India have revealed.
According to the polls, people in the two neighbouring countries want to share the same humane goals like any other civilised polity; economic prosperity for all, education for the youth, health for the needy, absence of violence and elimination of existential threats.
In Pakistan, 72 per cent of the respondents desired ‘peaceful and friendly’ relations with India” whereas 60 per cent Indians were hopeful of such an eventuality, The News reports.
The survey further said that at present about 88 per cent of Indians consider Pakistan as a high or moderate threat to their country, while 72 per cent Pakistanis perceive India as a high or moderate threat.
Notwithstanding the 88 per cent threat perception over 59 per cent of Indians think that a peaceful relationship would be established with Pakistan within their lifetime. About 64 percent of the Pakistanis share the same view.
The surveys show that a serious, sincere and cohesive effort is required to attain a peaceful equation between the two neighbours. (ANI)
