NAIROBI, Kenya – National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has called on India and Pakistan to end hostilities and embrace peace following an outbreak of violence over a contested border.
“Peace in whatever form is better than war, and anytime there is war, even if you have got an hour of victory, there are no winners, everybody loses something,” The Speaker said.
Speaking during a courtesy call by Ibrar Hussain Khan, the High Commissioner of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to Kenya, the speaker called for restraint and de-escalation even as he acknowledged the steps that had so far been taken to bring about peace.
“War anywhere is not good. It causes human suffering, it causes pain, especially among vulnerable groups in society, women, children, PWDs, who cannot stand up and fight, defend themselves” the Speaker stated.
This morning, I hosted H.E. Ibrar Hussain Khan, the High Commissioner of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to Kenya, during a courtesy call at my office in Parliament Buildings.The High Commissioner provided a briefing on the current status of the Indo-Pakistani conflict along
Ambassador Hussain Khan taking note of Kenya’s history of Peace keeping efforts not only within the region but as a significant contributor to global peace, calling for its support.
“Kenya is a brotherly and friendly country and we are so intricately related and connected to each other, you have a very powerful voice and a lot of credibility internationally,” Khan stressed.
With both India and Pakistan being Kenya’s trading partners, the de-escalation of the simmering conflict cannot be gainsaid.
“If there is instability, Kenya will be hit and affected directly. We have a $1 billion bilateral trade, if there is war, it will have a direct consequence for Kenya,” said Khan.
“Pakistan is very, very important to our economy, you take the bulk of our tea, the exports to Pakistan have found their way to secondary markets, we want peace to thrive.” responded the Speaker.
Looking back at his tenure at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Speaker Wetang’ula re-lived previous efforts at resolving the Kashmir issue saying Iterming it a thorny matter that remains a flashpoint.
“I am happy that normalcy is now back,” he added.
The Speaker promised to use available channels including reaching out to counterparts within the Commonwealth to preach peace and end global conflicts whose impacts are far reaching.
