KARACHI, Nov 19: Bollywood star Manisha Koirala on Saturday called for close cooperation between Pakistan and India in the fields of art and culture as the two nations shared various cultural values.

“My visit is aimed at brining the people of the two countries closer. I am sure the artistes of the two states can play a vital role in this regard,” she said while speaking at a press conference in a local hotel soon after her arrival on a four-day visit to Pakistan.

Manisha will take part in the current fundraising campaign for the victims of the Oct 8 earthquake which hit parts of Aazd Kashmir and the NWFP.

She appealed to Indian people, especially those belonging to the film industry, to step forward and help the earthquake survivors.

Manisha supported the idea of Pakistan-India joint film production saying the two countries had the same language and culture. “ There should be no barriers in this regard (joint film production),” she said.

“India is one of the biggest film industries in the world, and it has the capacity to absorb everyone,” she said while responding to a question about joining Bollywood by some Pakistani actresses.

In response to another question, she said artistes could play an important role in easing tensions between the two nuclear neighbours. “This is our (artistes) responsibility to work to improve the relations between the two countries, and I am sure that the way we are visiting each other these days will yield positive results,” she added.

Asked what role artistes could play in resolution of the Kashmir dispute, Manisha avoided replying directly and said: “What we can only do is just to apprise the people about reality”.

She urged the media of both countries to focus on the real issues and present a real picture before the two nations. This, she thought, would help in the resolution of various issues.

To yet another question, she said she wanted to visit the quake-stricken areas of the NWFP and Azad Kashmir to share her feelings with the earthquake survivors.

Earlier, on her arrival at the airport here, the law enforcement agencies took strict security measures. The situation took an unpleasant turn when policemen beat up some photographers and smashed their cameras.—Online