"Creativity cannot be contained", he said. "Your force, expressed individually and collectively, is the essence of the strength of the mind. Expression of creativity does not recognise political boundaries.

"The assault of globalization and the visual media are leading to deculturisation, questioning the importance and the strength of the literary world.

"Communication does not have to be dependent on radio or television. It is the strength of the idea which carries the message across the countries, and the idea of this SAARC Writers Conference is peace. Since it is a collective call for peace, the idea which is retained in the collective call is bound to be impressive and effective," he asserted.
The President of AFAL, Shri Khushwant Singh stated that the purpose of holding the Conference was to keep the voice of freedom alive in the decaying atmosphere of religious fundamentalism and intolerance. He said that lately clouds of suspicion and hatred had gathered over the skies in the Region. "The only community that has not succumbed to this deteriorating atmosphere is the community of writers and poets whose duty it is to keep the voice of freedom alive". He said that he had never allowed fear to come in the way of his writing. He expressed the need for continuation of dialogues and discussions to allay mistrust and suspicion in the region. He added, "Every writer should give a commitment to himself : I will never allow fear to hold my pen back".

Ms. Ajeet Cour in her Welcome Address emphasized that "Peace implies a global effort to change people's way of thinking so that they think and act to promote peace. Peace is not the exclusive business of governments and international organizations. Peace is more than the absence of war and violence. It is our values and attitudes in our communities, our families and our schools, which determine whether we are peace-loving or not. Peace must be cultivated and learned and, above all, put into practice. To make peace, we must act to transform the conflicts of everyday life into co-operation to make the world a better place to live in".