Concerned citizens in dozens of cities across the world will observe a global vigil on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013 to urge India and Pakistan to ensure that the dialogue process continues to be uninterrupted and uninterruptible
Samir Gupta
Driven by love from Pakistan
Concerned by the war-hype being drummed up by sections of the media in India, various individuals and groups across the borders have come forward to raise a voice for peace. Indians have criticised their government’s decisions to send back the Pakistan hockey team, cancel the performances of Pakistani theatre groups at the National School of Drama International Festival and the music concerts of Pakistani artists in India, like Ali Zafar, Mekaal Hasan and Jawad Bashir. Some stepped forward to enable the Pakistani theatre group Ajoka to perform at private venues.
“The role of some of the Indian TV channels is disappointing,” says Jatin Desai, a journalist in Mumbai who has long been active with the Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy. “They contributed in arousing public sentiments. They should have played an objective role but they failed in that. We need to be pro-active, come out and pressurise our governments to not to abandon the peace process and dialogue. The dialogue needs to be uninterrupted and uninterruptible.”
Desai was among a group of Mumbaikars who organised a 100 km long human chain on Dec. 12 to counter the war hype following the terrorist attacks of Nov. 2008.
Meanwhile, a Delhi-based technology consultant Samir Gupta has initiated a global vigil through the Aman ki Asha Facebook group, calling for peace between India and Pakistan, driven, he says, by “all the love I got from Pakistanis I met abroad”.
The vigil is being observed in dozens of cities across the world on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013 (see the facebook event at this link: http://on.fb.me/10vBKYF). It supports the stand taken by several groups of Indians and Pakistanis who have urged the governments to not allow tensions at the Line of Control to derail the peace process.
Following is the statement being shared at the global vigil:
We, the people observing this global vigil for peace between India and Pakistan on January 27, 2013, want to tell the governments of India and Pakistan that people in dozens of cities across six continents want them to continue the dialogue and take forward the peace process.
We appreciate that the governments of India and Pakistan have reiterated their commitment to continue the dialogue process and to strengthen the mechanisms for resolving disputes on the LoC and minimising violations.
We condemn the recent violations of the 2003 Ceasefire at the Line of Control (LoC) and condole the loss of lives on both sides. We condemn any kind of mutilation or beheading of human bodies.
We believe independent investigations must be made into these reported incidents so that the truth is known.
We urge the media, politicians, and other public figures to show restraint and not create or add to a war hype that has the potential to derail the peace process.
We urge India and Pakistan to immediately resume the implementation of the new visa policy that was to begin on Jan 15, 2013 by allowing senior citizens visa-on-arrival facility at the Wagah-Attari border. People-to-people contact needs to be enhanced not restricted.
We urge both governments to take immediate steps to resume normal trade and travel across the LoC.
Dialogue between India and Pakistan must be uninterrupted and uninterruptible. Any deviation from this process will only encourage and strengthen extremist, hawkish and fanatical elements on both sides who want to derail the peace process. The families of soldiers and members of divided families suffer most due to cross-border tensions.
We urge India and Pakistan to stay the course and continue with the progress made towards normalising relations that began in March 2010, with steps like easing the visa regime, improving trade relations and other confidence building measures. These steps have the potential to contribute to long-term peace, economic stability and SAARC-wide integration.
Posterity will judge our courage and patriotism not from the revenge we wreak but from the peace we win in these troubling times and from the progress resulting from such peace. A prosperous and well-connected South Asia is our best response to these divisive factions.
This statement draws upon several appeals issued by citizens from India and Pakistan since Jan 8, 2012:
- India and Pakistan citizens’ joint statement http://on.fb.me/ZrULGi
- AJK civil society elders’ statement http://on.fb.me/10yNKsv
- The Poonch civil society appeal http://on.fb.me/10yO9uU
- Members of divided families appeal by the India Pakistan Families Solidarity Association (IPFSA) https://t.co/XH6mxk5y.
- The Society for Promoting Rationality (SPRAT), India https://t.co/MELJD7hv
- Indians and Pakistanis’ letter to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari http://bit.ly/VGmTYt
- Pakistan-India Peoples’ Forum for Peace & Democracy (PIPFPD) statement http://on.fb.me/10yNw4D7.
- Kashmir Initiative Group statement http://on.fb.me/WjeA1b
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