Kolkata: Slamming both India and Pakistan for being paranoid about the Kashmir issue, noted Pakistani human rights activist Asma Jahangir has called for a "middle way", but said that a democratic set-up in Pakistan was necessary for the peace initiative to succeed.

"Indians think there is paranoia in Pakistan over Kashmir. Yes, there is. But, Delhi is also paranoid in avoiding the issue," the former chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said.

"So, we need a middle way, which has to be a continued dialogue process," she said.

Jehangir, delivering the Sarat Chandra Bose Memorial Lecture, 2004 at the Netaji Bhawan last night (Sep 1, 2004) said, "Let us accept the fact that there is human rights violation by the Indian security forces on the Kashmir people. Let us also accept that there is infiltration of extremists from across the border for fomenting trouble in your country."

Stating that none of the policies pursued by the two countries were acceptable, she said, "We have to resolve that we will neither support an Indian position, nor one of Pakistan, but only those positions which are based on human values and democracy." However, for the peace initiatives to be successful, she said a democratic set up in Pakistan was essential.