Indians and Pakistanis unite for a mutual goal of peace


Indians and Pakistanis unite for a mutual goal of peace

Last week, over 150 activists in India and Pakistan took part in a photo campaign to call on world leaders to never use nuclear weapons. From New Delhi to Islamabad, Bangalore to Karachi, and Amritsar to Lahore, Global Zero volunteers took photos of themselves holding signs that say “Don’t Nuke Us, PM Sharif” and “Don’t Nuke Us, PM Modi” with the hashtag #NoRedButton.

PakistanAndUnites_1 (2)This powerful action comes at a time when both countries have been on the brink of war after the Uri attacks, and both sides have threatened to use nuclear weapons, says a media statement sent by the activists.

The photo campaign with the hashtags #EliminateNukes #KeepUsSafe seeks to build regional solidarity in the face of war and to work to eliminate nuclear weapons forever.

“As long as we live in an undemocratic system that gives one person absolute control over mass destruction, we can never be safe,” says the press release.

“The consolidation of power into the hands of so few dramatically raises the threat of a nuclear war- whether by deliberate intent, by miscalculation, or by accident. We must demand our leaders say No to the Red Button.”

PakistanAndUnites_1 (3)The statement points out that world leaders across the world have the power to kill thousands of people at a moment’s notice with the push of a button – immediately launching a nuclear strike. Prime Minister Modi in India and Prime Minister Sharif in Pakistan similarly control the fate of over 200 nuclear warheads collectively.

PakistanAndUnites_1 (4)A nuclear war between India and Pakistan would produce so much smoke that global temperatures would fall below those of the last Ice Age, threatening the global food supply. One “average” nuclear bomb dropped on a major city would vaporise everything within 1.6 km, and kill 12 lakh people in the first 24 hours, with significantly more deaths from radiation exposure and injuries in the following weeks.

Increasing diplomatic and military tension between India and Pakistan increases the likelihood of global nuclear catastrophe. “PM Modi and PM Sharif’s fingers on the proverbial red button threaten the fate of not just these two nations, but of the world,” say the young activists.

Global Zero’s No Red Button campaign targets the fear at the very heart of the nuclear threat. The fear that one person could press one of the nine existing red buttons that would destroy the world as we know it. “History is proof of human fallibility. As long as these red buttons exist, we are not safe,” say the activists.




2 thoughts on “Indians and Pakistanis unite for a mutual goal of peace

  1. sadaf usman

    the main photo is of my kids:) I am a mother, an activist, a volunteer, a writer, a blogger and a poet:) I am associated with global zero pakistan and i believe that violence is never the solution. Kashmiris deserve their rights irrespective of their religion and should be granted them for already it has been too late, too much has been complicated in all these years
    Here is my take on the tension between the two countries
    http://mysticalmelodies.blogspot.com/2016/10/violence-is-language-of-insanity.html

    Reply

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