Hiroshima mayor urges India, Pakistan to talk

Offering to play host, Hiroshima Mayor Akiba Tadatoshi on Tuesday asked India and Pakistan to hold talks in the greater interest of world peace.

Talking to rediff.com at the Press Club of India in Delhi, Tadatoshi said that since both India and Pakistan possess nuclear weapons, the need to sort out their differences was that much more greater.

Hiroshima, followed by Nagasaki, was completely destroyed when the United States dropped a nuclear bomb on the Japanese city to bring a quick end to the Second World War.

"I also call upon young Indians and Pakistanis to visit these cities (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) and see what nuclear weapons have in store for humanity. I urge India and Pakistan in the strongest terms to rid their county of these heinous, inhumane and illegal (under international law) weapons.

"I have been asked if Kashmir is a greater flashpoint then the Middle East. My answer is that even a smallest unknown place could trigger a nuclear war.

"We in Hiroshima know what kind of devastation nuclear bombs can unleash. Both India and Pakistan have nuclear weapons. They have to restrain themselves and not get provoked. Last year, the two countries came close to a nuclear confrontation," he said.

Tadatoshi refused to answer questions relating to accusations against Pakistan of assisting terrorists operating in Jammu and Kashmir pleading ignorance. He urged the South Asian neighbours countries to open their minds to international calls for a peaceful solution to break the chain of hatred, violence and revenge.

"It seems strange that a Japanese should talk to Indians about the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi and non-violence. Gandhi is more relevant today than ever before. He is my hero. India needs to return to the Gandhian path," he said.