Dr Tauseef Aized Sadako is a legendary character in Japanese culture in the backdrop of the Hiroshima atomic bombing in August 1945. The story of Sadako is real whose pangs are still felt in Japanese art, literature and culture. Sadako was only two years old when the Hiroshima tragedy took place and was living about a mile away from the hypocentre of the bombing. She was at home when the atomic bomb was dropped. When Sadako was 11 years old, she noticed chicken pox on her neck and ear. In January 1955, some purple spots started to form on her legs. She was hospitalised where she was diagnosed Leukaemia which was the direct effect of the rays generated by the bombing. It was medically estimated that she could only survive for less than a year. One of her best friends came to visit her in the hospital where she started cutting papers into square shapes and folding those to form cranes. She told Sadako a traditional Japanese story that anyone who forms one thousand cranes is rewarded a wish. Longing for her survival, Sadako began to form cranes by cutting and folding papers. She wanted to form one thousand cranes as soon as possible. Although she had enough time to apply herself for her survival by forming cranes but there were not enough papers available. She began to form cranes from the papers in which her medicine was wrapped. Additionally, she used to visit other patients in the hospital in the hope of getting extra papers which, according to her innocent thinking, could save her life. In October 1955, her legs were swollen with purple spots and at last she succumbed to death on October 25. She had formed 644 cranes by then. After her demise, her friends formed the rest of the cranes which were buried with her and a monument was built in her memory in the famous Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Every year, Japanese people commemorate Sadako by staging plays, arranging exhibitions etc. Should the people of both India and Pakistan not reflect on Sadako's tragedy? In case an atomic weapon is used in the future from any side, how many Sadakos would suffer irreparable losses only because of the madness of the hawks on both sides of the border? The masses of both India and Pakistan may have some idea of the losses incurred during conventional wars fought in the past. Yet, they are completely oblivious of the consequences of an atomic war which is typically aimed at decimating a large population of belligerent nations. In the case where either India or Pakistan adopts the nuclear option during any future crisis, she is bound to face a rebound. Additionally, using an atomic weapon would not be a tragedy of a specific time; its perpetuating effects will haunt Sadakos on both sides of the border. What will ensue on the gruesome mass killing? Ultimately, there would be a peace agreement between the two nations but at the cost of millions of lives and the bereavement of the generation which would survive the tragedy. Why not start the peace process right now and save our generations? No dispute can be settled through horrible wars. What have India and Pakistan got from their previous adventures except destruction? The survival of both nations is dependent on their attitude towards settling their outstanding conflicts as wars can only generate disputes leading to more wars. The only way to survival is to accept whole-heartedly each others existence and identity and to develop a popular thinking to shun armed struggle. The disputes between India and Pakistan are certainly complicated but can be settled through patience and dialogue as that is the only prudent option. The sooner we learn that human lives are valuable, the better it is. The writer is a professor at the UET, Lahore, and currently research fellow at the Monash University, Australia E-mail: tauseef_aized@yahoo.com