September 01, 2004
INDIA PAKISTAN PEACE MARCH
A peace march is being planned by PIPFPD (Pakistan India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy) starting from Delhi, on 23rd March and will make its way to Multan, on 11th May, 2005.
Probably nowhere in the world do we have a situation where people are as emotionally entwined as between India and Pakistan and yet there is an enmity thrust upon them. The cruel turn of events in history resulted in political separation leading to a bloody migration of masses of people. Family links were severed and a deep scars were left. Even the post partition history has remained quite tumultuous, interspersed with four wars and loss of innumerable innocent lives. Kashmir remains a sore point between India and Pakistan threatening to take both countries to self-destruction. Even though common people never benefit from violence and hatred, fundamentalists groups within religion and politics in South Asia have ensured that the animosity will continue to take heavy toll on both sides.
Common people on both sides are now fed up of being targets of violence and of atmosphere of antagonism. They want friendship, peace and normal relations to be established between the two countries. We have seen that even though the ruling elites of the two countries are usually suspicious of each other, whenever the common people of the two countries get to meet, all walls of reservation against each other melt as warm emotions of affinity surge. It is like people of same family meeting each other after years of forced separation. Enmity, hatred and distance are only superficial and soon give way to warmth and friendship.
We feel that if real peace and friendship has to be established between the common people of India and Pakistan, the initiative will have to be taken by people themselves. So far, the governments have created trade and travel barriers between the two countries preventing easy access to the other country and free mingling among the people. However, now there is a subtle change in the atmosphere. The governments seem more willing than before to allow the people of two countries to interact freely and also seem to be supportive of the people-to-people level initiatives. Various initiatives are being undertaken. We plan to organize a peace march between Delhi and Multan beginning March 23, 2005. The long march will allow peace-loving people of both countries to participate in the grassroots initiative for peace and friendship and will help build an atmosphere among the common people of the two countries, which will ultimately persuade the two governments to follow suit.
For more details about the peace march or interest in participating in the peace march you may contact the following.
Karamat Ali
PILER
ST-001, Sector X, Sub-Sector V
Gulshan-e-Maymar, Karachi 75340
Pakistan
Sandeep Pandey
NAPM
A-893, Indira Nagar
Lucknow-226016, U.P.
India
