NEW DELHI: A leading Pakistani jurist says that failure of secularism will have disastrous consequences not only for India but for Asia as such.
I am distressed by communal riots in India apart from the loss of life said justice (Retd) Dorab Patel who visited India recently to attend a human rights conference here
Justice Patel who heads The Pakistan Human Rights Organization since its inception in 1987 said in an interview I am disturbed by the thought that this seems to be an organized attempt to destroy the ideal of a secular India.
If that succeeds it will be a disaster not only for India but for Asia as such he felt.
Justice Patel who shot into fame when he resigned as a Supreme Court judge after late Gen Zia Ul Haq abrogated the constitution in 1977 was of the view that a meaningful improvement in Indo Pak tits would be a slow process.
The Indo-Pak relations could be improved by increasing people-to people contact by easing travel restrictions and exchanging newspapers and periodicals on a regular basis.
Asked whether Pakistan was running training camps for militants from the Indian border states of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir justice Patel said it was quite difficult for a private individual to comment on such matters
Article extracted from this publication >> January 11, 1991
