A Positive in the Face of Tragedy?

Can something good come from tragedy? We’ve seen it happen before. People, who under normal circumstances can’t get along, come together in the face of a common disaster. Let’s hope that will be one result of the recent Asian earthquake.

Although somewhat improved over the past year, the relationship between Pakistan and India has been a long and bitter one. However, The Associated Press reports today that Pakistan has said that it will accept earthquake relief aid from India.

The announcement came after Pakistani Foreign Ministry said Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh telephoned Pakistan's high commissioner in New Delhi and ''reiterated his offer to send relief aid to us for earthquake victims.''

High Commissioner Aziz Ahmed Khan met Singh and then contacted the government in Islamabad, which decided to accept the Indian offer after consultations at the highest level, Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said.

According to the report, “Musharraf (Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf) also made a similar offer for the victims of the quake in the Indian portion of Kashmir…”

Hopefully, the goodwill will last beyond the current circumstances, and these two longtime enemies can learn to live side by side in peace.