Mumbai, Dec 17 (IANS): The Pakistan-India Peoples' Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) Wednesday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's gesture of standing by Pakistan in the wake of a terror attack on school that left nearly 150 people dead.

"We welcome the Indian government's gesture of standing by Pakistan at this critical moment. We appeal to Narendra Modi to carry forward this gesture of compassion and urgently resume dialogue with Pakistan," PIPFPD office-bearers Anuradha Bhasin, Asha Hansa and Jatin Desai said in a statement here.

The Pakistani Taliban Tuesday slaughtered 141 people, 132 of them children, in a horrific terror attack on an army-run school in Peshawar city.

They pointed out that a stronger resolve to make the transition from hostility to mutual trust and build friendly relations between the two countries would go a long way in replacing the mutual insecurity that often gives birth to religious extremism and terror groups.

Strongly condemning Tuesday's massacre, the PIPFPD urged the need to understand the genesis of such violence and make a serious endeavour to fight it at that level.

"This attack on children studying in a school is the worst form of brutality and violation of fundamental principles of humanity. There can be no justification of such acts," the PIPFPD said, expressing solidarity with the victims' families.

"We believe this is not just a tragedy for Pakistan but a collective tragedy for the entire world and it calls for global compassion, especially so in the entire sub-continent," the statement said.

The PIPFPD urged all liberal, democratic and secular forces worldwide to stand in solidarity with the bereaved families and initiate serious efforts for a global fight against barbaric and heinous murders committed in the name of religion.

"We hope that India and Pakistan could work together along with other Saarc countries in making south Asia free from religious extremism that lies at the root of such senseless violence," the PIPFPD said.