Speaker National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza, Speaker Lok Sabha Ms Meira Kumar Tuesday agreed for enhancing interaction between the parliamentarians of Pakistan and India to built bridges of understanding and friendship between both the neighboring countries.

Both also agreed that dialogue was the only way forward to addressing the contentious issues between both the countries.

Ms Meira Kumar met Dr Fehmida Mirza along with a Parliamentary delegation comprising Members of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, in Parliament House.

Deputy Speaker National Assembly Faisal Karim Kundi and Members of the Pak-India Friendship group were also present during the meeting.

Talking to her Indian Counterpart, Dr. Fehmida Mirza said that Pakistan and Indian not only share boundaries but were intertwined in bonds of culture, history and heritage.

She said that both the countries shared common problems, therefore, a common strategy needed to be forged to address those problems.

She said that regular interaction between the parliamentarians of both the countries was the only way forward for solidifying bilateral relations.

She said that Pakistan has been the victim of terrorism and the terrorism was posing threat to the region. She called for a joint strategy by neighboring countries to counter that menace.

Referring to the economic and commercial ties between Pakistan and India, Dr. Fehmida Mirza said that immense economical potential exists in both the countries, which needed to be exploited for mutual benefit of both the nations.

Speaker Lok Sabha, Ms Meira Kumar reciprocating to the remarks of her Pakistani counterpart said that it was indeed a pleasure to visit Pakistan and she had brought with her, message of good-will, friendship, peace and prosperity for the people of Pakistan.

She said that relationship between both the countries was not confined to politics and trade alone; rather these were based on emotional and cultural grounds. She agreed that regular interaction between parliamentarians and people of both the countries would remove misperceptions against each other and create better understanding.

She said that people of India wish to see cordial relations between both the countries. All the contentious issues needed to be resolved through dialogue. She invited Dr Fehmida Mirza to visit India along with a parliamentary delegation.