(The News International, May 19, 2005)
The India-Pakistan peace march continues
Sandeep Pandey
The India-Pakistan Peace March from Delhi to Multan is symbolically over, but the Indian participants are leaving quite dissatisfied at not being allowed to march within the country. It was quite embarrassing to be talking about disarmament but moving around under heavy armed security cover, always accompanied by a police jeep, even though obviously, this was for security reasons. Some of the hosts within Pakistan were also uncomfortable with this. However, it was either this curtailed and restricted visit, or none at all.
Marchers from both countries had trouble crossing over into the other country to participate in the march. Both governments delayed granting visas to marchers from the other side, but the Indian government finally did grant visas for all 12 districts that fell on the route; the Pakistani government granted visas only for the cities of Lahore and Multan. It is another matter that the Pakistani marchers could not use their visas for all places, because of the further delays caused by the Pakistani government in granting them permission to cross the Wagha border on foot. By the time they crossed into India, the march was in the last district, Amritsar.
On the positive side, while the Pakistani marchers were walking on the road for five days in India, there was no police accompanying us, which can be considered an achievement of the march.
It is an ironic that whereas both governments created hurdles in the path of peace-lovers from the two countries, L. K. Advani, the mastermind behind the rise of communal politics in India, is soon going to be a state guest of the government of Pakistan.
What this means is that the peace activists who labour to change the relationship of animosity between the two nations over the last 57 years and are mobilising the public support in favour of a friendly and peaceful relationship between India and Pakistan are discouraged at every step. On the other hand, the man whose party brought the two nations to the brink of nuclear war and whose followers indulged in the worst carnage in independent India, in Gujarat, will be enjoying government hospitality in Pakistan.
This only reflects the misplaced priorities of the governments.
Many in India are fighting to free Indian politics of the forces which are a threat to democratic polity, and find it discouraging that their neighbouring nation chooses to honour the leader of these regressive forces. Even opponents of US policy appreciated the American denial of a visa to Narendra Modi, a step that definitely discredits these forces. Many in India admire Pervez Musharraf for his steps to check fundamentalist forces in Pakistan, but they also expect him to help the Indian people in controlling such forces in their country.
The peace march received a very positive response from the many people's representatives they met. The Nazim of Lahore, Mian Amir Mehmood, granted permission for the peace march to take place within the city and allowed participants to plant a sapling that Professor Rameek Mohan, one of the marchers from India, had brought from Rohtak, as a symbol of peace and friendship.
MNA Rana Tariq Javed was present to welcome us at a small function in Sahiwal on our way to Multan. The local Nazim and the SSP, Khuda Bux Malik, were also present here. In Chichawatni the local Nazim welcomed us. In Multan, MNA Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi, who happens to be the Sajjada Nashin of the Dargah of Bahauddin Zakaria, almost echoed our sentiments in his speech and granted us permission to move about freely in Multan, where we planted another Indian sapling at the City Council Hall. Back in Lahore, we were hosted in the Punjab Assembly by opposition leader Qasim Zia.
The people's representatives compensated for the negative attitude shown by the Pakistani government towards the peace march. Clearly, the movement for democracy will have to be strengthened if pro-people initiatives are allowed to take place freely here. The peace movements on either side should strengthen the democratisation process in both Pakistan and India; they are already resolved to continue pushing forward the agenda for peace and friendship between the two countries. At the level of the common people this is the most important democratic issue in the context of bilateral relationship.
The original plan had been to organise a joint peace march of activists from both countries. But that remains unfinished. Although in their meeting Pervez Musharraf and Manmohan Singh used language hitherto used by peace activists, the two governments did not cooperate fully in facilitating the peace march.
The activists are determined to return to finish this march next year. Hopefully by then the governments will have realised the advantages of letting such an activity take place.
The writer is a prominent social activist based in Lucknow, who led the Indian peace marchers
May 18, 2005
March for peace (Beena Sarwar)
(Kashmir Times - May 17, 2005)
March for peace
by Beena Sarwar
Mazher Hussain from Hyderabad, India, has a dream that many others share. The energetic peace activist dreams of the time when people from India and Pakistan can walk together on public roads in each other's countries. When he first talked about this peace march idea during a visit to Karachi over a year ago, the first thing that came to mind was the difficulties of such an exercise. Visas... security... organisation (lack of, especially in Pakistan where the grassroots or community organisations are not as strong as in India)...
But Mazher, who heads a confederation of voluntary organisations (COVA), was not to be daunted. It would be like a relay of marchers, heaid, with a core group walking the entire distance, while local organisations would prepare the ground for their meetings at the villages and towns they would pass on their way. "It is doable, and
it will work. You will see," he insisted.
A year later, Mazher is part of the dozen peace marchers from India that Pakistan finally granted visas to (out of the 70 who applied) and allowed to cross into the country on foot for the final leg of the march. They had reached the border on April 18, and waited there
until the permission arrived on May 7.
The group includes the young activist filmmaker Monica Wahi, who moved from Delhi to Ahmedabad after the Gujarat communal riots (carnage, rather, as the Indian human rights groups labelled them) and took up residence in an apartment block there in her quest to help the affected women. Supported by other women's groups, she set up a system for them to be able to earn their own livelihood by making and selling readymade garments, simultaneously promoting traditional hand-loom, dying and block-printing methods.
Led by the veteran and respected social activist Dr Sandeep Pandey, the Indian delegation has not been allowed to 'march' in Pakistan but only to drive, due to 'security reasons' according to the Pakistani authorities. It is odd that thousands of Indians and Pakistanis can be allowed to roam on public roads and markets in each other's countries if they are ostensibly there to see a cricket match, but not if they are explicitly making the trip to promote the cause of peace.
Still, the very fact that they are here at all is testimony to their persistence and patience, and that of their fellow peace activists on either side of the border.
The march began on March 23 in Delhi, at the shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. India granted special visas to only nine Pakistanis (out of the 70 who applied), listing the cities they would be passing through on the journey. However, at the last minute, the Pakistani authorities prevented them from crossing into India on foot. At the inaugural of the march, meanwhile, the presence of celebrities like the Indian director Mahesh Bhatt and the Pakistani film actress Meera (one of the three Pakistanis present there) ensured a fair amount of media coverage for the walk.
Meanwhile hectic efforts to secure permission for the other Pakistanis to join the Indian marchers continued, and on April 9, Pakistan finally allowed nine of them, including four women, to walk across the Wagah border to join their Indian friends who by then had reached the River Beas. The Pakistani women included Lali Kohli, the
courageous former bonded labourer from Sindh who recently won her freedom, and young Nayyar Habib of the Labour Party.
The insistence on crossing the border on foot has political significance. It highlights the fact that the Indian and Pakistani governments normally restrict visitors from each other's countries to trains, airplanes and buses, which is far more time-consuming and expensive. Visa holders are restricted to the entry and exit points stipulated on their visa applications -you can't change your mind later and return to Karachi from Bombay if your visa application has Delhi as the exit point.
The peace march ended on May 11, the seventh anniversary of the Indian nuclear tests. Interestingly, the marchers' arrival in Lahore coincided with the authorities removing the replica of the Chaghi hills from in front of the railway station - followed by the
clarification that the move is being made for 'repairs', a convenient escape route in case the hawks become louder than the doves.
As for the doves, the reception in Pakistan has been 'amazing', says Monica. Large numbers of people turned up to greet the marchers, from Lahore, to Sahiwal, to Chichawatni and Multan. "It was beyond all expectations, even of the local organisers," she adds. "Isn't it a great injustice for the governments to not allow us to walk as we had asked? To keep people apart who want to meet? Is this why they didn't give us permission to walk, they were afraid of this huge response?" The organisers also raise the very valid question of how Pakistan hopes to host the forthcoming Asia-Pacific Social Forum in Karachi, January 2006, for which the Prime Minister has promised full support, noting that after all, he also promised full support to the 150 peace marchers -a far smaller number than the 20,000 expected for the Social Forum.
-(Courtesy: The News)
March for peace
by Beena Sarwar
Mazher Hussain from Hyderabad, India, has a dream that many others share. The energetic peace activist dreams of the time when people from India and Pakistan can walk together on public roads in each other's countries. When he first talked about this peace march idea during a visit to Karachi over a year ago, the first thing that came to mind was the difficulties of such an exercise. Visas... security... organisation (lack of, especially in Pakistan where the grassroots or community organisations are not as strong as in India)...
But Mazher, who heads a confederation of voluntary organisations (COVA), was not to be daunted. It would be like a relay of marchers, heaid, with a core group walking the entire distance, while local organisations would prepare the ground for their meetings at the villages and towns they would pass on their way. "It is doable, and
it will work. You will see," he insisted.
A year later, Mazher is part of the dozen peace marchers from India that Pakistan finally granted visas to (out of the 70 who applied) and allowed to cross into the country on foot for the final leg of the march. They had reached the border on April 18, and waited there
until the permission arrived on May 7.
The group includes the young activist filmmaker Monica Wahi, who moved from Delhi to Ahmedabad after the Gujarat communal riots (carnage, rather, as the Indian human rights groups labelled them) and took up residence in an apartment block there in her quest to help the affected women. Supported by other women's groups, she set up a system for them to be able to earn their own livelihood by making and selling readymade garments, simultaneously promoting traditional hand-loom, dying and block-printing methods.
Led by the veteran and respected social activist Dr Sandeep Pandey, the Indian delegation has not been allowed to 'march' in Pakistan but only to drive, due to 'security reasons' according to the Pakistani authorities. It is odd that thousands of Indians and Pakistanis can be allowed to roam on public roads and markets in each other's countries if they are ostensibly there to see a cricket match, but not if they are explicitly making the trip to promote the cause of peace.
Still, the very fact that they are here at all is testimony to their persistence and patience, and that of their fellow peace activists on either side of the border.
The march began on March 23 in Delhi, at the shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. India granted special visas to only nine Pakistanis (out of the 70 who applied), listing the cities they would be passing through on the journey. However, at the last minute, the Pakistani authorities prevented them from crossing into India on foot. At the inaugural of the march, meanwhile, the presence of celebrities like the Indian director Mahesh Bhatt and the Pakistani film actress Meera (one of the three Pakistanis present there) ensured a fair amount of media coverage for the walk.
Meanwhile hectic efforts to secure permission for the other Pakistanis to join the Indian marchers continued, and on April 9, Pakistan finally allowed nine of them, including four women, to walk across the Wagah border to join their Indian friends who by then had reached the River Beas. The Pakistani women included Lali Kohli, the
courageous former bonded labourer from Sindh who recently won her freedom, and young Nayyar Habib of the Labour Party.
The insistence on crossing the border on foot has political significance. It highlights the fact that the Indian and Pakistani governments normally restrict visitors from each other's countries to trains, airplanes and buses, which is far more time-consuming and expensive. Visa holders are restricted to the entry and exit points stipulated on their visa applications -you can't change your mind later and return to Karachi from Bombay if your visa application has Delhi as the exit point.
The peace march ended on May 11, the seventh anniversary of the Indian nuclear tests. Interestingly, the marchers' arrival in Lahore coincided with the authorities removing the replica of the Chaghi hills from in front of the railway station - followed by the
clarification that the move is being made for 'repairs', a convenient escape route in case the hawks become louder than the doves.
As for the doves, the reception in Pakistan has been 'amazing', says Monica. Large numbers of people turned up to greet the marchers, from Lahore, to Sahiwal, to Chichawatni and Multan. "It was beyond all expectations, even of the local organisers," she adds. "Isn't it a great injustice for the governments to not allow us to walk as we had asked? To keep people apart who want to meet? Is this why they didn't give us permission to walk, they were afraid of this huge response?" The organisers also raise the very valid question of how Pakistan hopes to host the forthcoming Asia-Pacific Social Forum in Karachi, January 2006, for which the Prime Minister has promised full support, noting that after all, he also promised full support to the 150 peace marchers -a far smaller number than the 20,000 expected for the Social Forum.
-(Courtesy: The News)
May 12, 2005
Credit where credit is due (Kamran Shafi)
(Daily Times,May 12, 2005)
Credit where credit is due
by Kamran Shafi
What kind of good governance do we have in the Mother of All Provinces if the government of the Great Chaudhry cannot provide protection to our guests within his own fiefdom?
There are just so many people in the world who fight for an ideal for no other reason but that it is an ideal, and because it is for the good of humanity; there are very few in the world who have such courage of their convictions that they will stand up against the strongest of the state apparatus and say the truth no matter what. Those who are in the vanguard of peace movements across the world are among those we speak about, the Indian subcontinent producing two outstanding examples: our own Karamat Ali of PILER, and the Magsaysay Award 2002 winner Sandeep Pandey of the Indian NGO, Asha (Hope).
It was so good receiving the India-Pakistan Peace March led by Sandeep Pandey at Wagah on Saturday last in the company of Karamat Ali and friends; it was so heartening to see ordinary, lay people, both Indian and Pakistani, so taken up with peace between their countries that they braved with good humour the hot sun for hours on end while bureaucratic procedures took their twisted, and long, and painful paths. It was so gratifying indeed, to see dedicated people like Sandeep, the moving spirit from the Indian side and Karamat from ours, give so much of themselves to amity and understanding. More than anything, it was great to see Sandeep’s young children, Chaitanya, eight, and Anandi, five, march with the rest!
That is what brought tears to my eyes, to see the little ones marching for peace: what memories these young children will carry all their lives, of being part at their tender ages of a march which attempted to talk some sense to two poverty-ridden but completely senseless countries, both of which possessed the ultimate in weapons of mass destruction but the mass of whose people lived in abject poverty.
It wasn’t easy for this march to proceed, we must note, both governments making it as hard as they could, ours excelling the other side. While the Indians delayed for 10 days the issuance of visas to the Pakistani marchers who were to cross into India to accompany the Indian marchers into Pakistan, the Pakistan government did not allow the Pakistanis to cross the border on foot to join their counterparts for another 13. Once these issues had been resolved and the Pakistanis had crossed over and joined their co-marchers in Beas, the Pakistan government delayed issuing visas to the Indians to cross into Pakistan for a further 19 days. Looks sort of even thus far, this negativism, doesn’t it? So how did we excel? By issuing only 12 visas to the Indian marchers while India issued 22 to ours.
It has to be put on record too that whilst India allowed Pakistani marchers to march alongside the Indians from Beas to Amritsar, we did not allow the Indians to march alongside Pakistani marchers from Lahore to Multan. They have now gone to Multan by motor transport. The reason that the authorities have put forward is the presence of extremists who could pose a threat to the Indian marchers. Permission was not granted despite the organisers taking full responsibility for their Indian guests.
A fob-off on the part of the government if you ask me: for we all know that the cowards who kill the unarmed and the weak would not dare attack hundreds of high profile peace activists. Moreover, what kind of good governance do we have in the Mother of All Provinces if the government of the Great Chaudhry cannot provide protection to our guests within his own fiefdom?
Sorry for boring you, gentle reader, but it is important to point out the fault-lines in this peace process so that the leaders spearheading it, even if they are half-way serious, can take corrective measures to identify the stumbling blocks, be they inflexible and pig-headed bureaucrats or stupid and arcane rules and regulations. Indeed who could find anything wrong with the declaration that the marchers are carrying with them and which 7,000 ordinary, poor Indians have signed during the march from Delhi to Amritsar:
“We support India-Pakistan Peace March and demand:
“1. India and Pakistan should resolve their disputes through peaceful dialogue. The Kashmir problem should be solved considering the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“2. India and Pakistan should abolish their nuclear weapons, and remove the armed forces and landmines across the border. The defence budgets should be reduced and resources should be directed towards development of the poor of both countries.
“3. Travelling across the border should be made easy for citizens of both sides and non-visa entry to both countries should be allowed.”
All of the people who signed the declaration also said they did not want their government to buy F-16s or F-18s. “We want the money saved spent on schools, dispensaries, sanitation and potable drinking water, not more weapons”, they all said. Needless to point out, their counterparts on this side of the border have like feelings.
All in all, the march is a laudable effort by all concerned that should be supported by each one of us in whatever way we can. Every little bit helps: a letter to the editor of a newspaper; an email to the Big General who is so very web-savvy; a ‘phone call to the interior minister’s office — anything at all. What today is a small snowflake can tomorrow snowball into an avalanche: of peace, amity and understanding.
This article about the good people of the peace march will not be complete without a mention of the Buddhist Monk Tenzin Rigzin. Dressed in his simple orange and yellow robes, wearing rubber chappals, carrying a small backpack, Tenzin Rigzin was humility and meekness itself. Hanging at the back of the march, out of the limelight, out of the sight of press cameras, bowing low with hands joined together in the traditional Buddhist greeting to everyone who approached, and beating a small hide-covered drum was Tenzin Rigzin. Over and over, softly; again and again. This was his peace drum and he was not about to get tired beating it. Incidentally, Tenzin Rigzin was one of those who appealed to ‘Prime Minister’ Shaukat Aziz for expediting their visas while they waited at the border for a week and more, to no avail of course.
A short note about the influence ‘Prime Minister’ Shaukat Aziz has over the regime he nominally heads: whilst he promised representatives of the peace-marchers when they met him in Karachi some months ago that the Indians would get a 150 visas, they ended up getting only 12! And those too much delayed. Good reason for him to reconsider his position if you ask me, and resign. Also, reason for all future requests to do with the government to be routed to the Big General himself: poor old Shaukat Aziz being neither here nor there. Seems to me his ‘prime ministry’ will be shorter lived than poor old Jamali’s! Any bets? I am good for Rs 10 any time.
[...].
Kamran Shafi is a freelance columnist
Credit where credit is due
by Kamran Shafi
What kind of good governance do we have in the Mother of All Provinces if the government of the Great Chaudhry cannot provide protection to our guests within his own fiefdom?
There are just so many people in the world who fight for an ideal for no other reason but that it is an ideal, and because it is for the good of humanity; there are very few in the world who have such courage of their convictions that they will stand up against the strongest of the state apparatus and say the truth no matter what. Those who are in the vanguard of peace movements across the world are among those we speak about, the Indian subcontinent producing two outstanding examples: our own Karamat Ali of PILER, and the Magsaysay Award 2002 winner Sandeep Pandey of the Indian NGO, Asha (Hope).
It was so good receiving the India-Pakistan Peace March led by Sandeep Pandey at Wagah on Saturday last in the company of Karamat Ali and friends; it was so heartening to see ordinary, lay people, both Indian and Pakistani, so taken up with peace between their countries that they braved with good humour the hot sun for hours on end while bureaucratic procedures took their twisted, and long, and painful paths. It was so gratifying indeed, to see dedicated people like Sandeep, the moving spirit from the Indian side and Karamat from ours, give so much of themselves to amity and understanding. More than anything, it was great to see Sandeep’s young children, Chaitanya, eight, and Anandi, five, march with the rest!
That is what brought tears to my eyes, to see the little ones marching for peace: what memories these young children will carry all their lives, of being part at their tender ages of a march which attempted to talk some sense to two poverty-ridden but completely senseless countries, both of which possessed the ultimate in weapons of mass destruction but the mass of whose people lived in abject poverty.
It wasn’t easy for this march to proceed, we must note, both governments making it as hard as they could, ours excelling the other side. While the Indians delayed for 10 days the issuance of visas to the Pakistani marchers who were to cross into India to accompany the Indian marchers into Pakistan, the Pakistan government did not allow the Pakistanis to cross the border on foot to join their counterparts for another 13. Once these issues had been resolved and the Pakistanis had crossed over and joined their co-marchers in Beas, the Pakistan government delayed issuing visas to the Indians to cross into Pakistan for a further 19 days. Looks sort of even thus far, this negativism, doesn’t it? So how did we excel? By issuing only 12 visas to the Indian marchers while India issued 22 to ours.
It has to be put on record too that whilst India allowed Pakistani marchers to march alongside the Indians from Beas to Amritsar, we did not allow the Indians to march alongside Pakistani marchers from Lahore to Multan. They have now gone to Multan by motor transport. The reason that the authorities have put forward is the presence of extremists who could pose a threat to the Indian marchers. Permission was not granted despite the organisers taking full responsibility for their Indian guests.
A fob-off on the part of the government if you ask me: for we all know that the cowards who kill the unarmed and the weak would not dare attack hundreds of high profile peace activists. Moreover, what kind of good governance do we have in the Mother of All Provinces if the government of the Great Chaudhry cannot provide protection to our guests within his own fiefdom?
Sorry for boring you, gentle reader, but it is important to point out the fault-lines in this peace process so that the leaders spearheading it, even if they are half-way serious, can take corrective measures to identify the stumbling blocks, be they inflexible and pig-headed bureaucrats or stupid and arcane rules and regulations. Indeed who could find anything wrong with the declaration that the marchers are carrying with them and which 7,000 ordinary, poor Indians have signed during the march from Delhi to Amritsar:
“We support India-Pakistan Peace March and demand:
“1. India and Pakistan should resolve their disputes through peaceful dialogue. The Kashmir problem should be solved considering the wishes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“2. India and Pakistan should abolish their nuclear weapons, and remove the armed forces and landmines across the border. The defence budgets should be reduced and resources should be directed towards development of the poor of both countries.
“3. Travelling across the border should be made easy for citizens of both sides and non-visa entry to both countries should be allowed.”
All of the people who signed the declaration also said they did not want their government to buy F-16s or F-18s. “We want the money saved spent on schools, dispensaries, sanitation and potable drinking water, not more weapons”, they all said. Needless to point out, their counterparts on this side of the border have like feelings.
All in all, the march is a laudable effort by all concerned that should be supported by each one of us in whatever way we can. Every little bit helps: a letter to the editor of a newspaper; an email to the Big General who is so very web-savvy; a ‘phone call to the interior minister’s office — anything at all. What today is a small snowflake can tomorrow snowball into an avalanche: of peace, amity and understanding.
This article about the good people of the peace march will not be complete without a mention of the Buddhist Monk Tenzin Rigzin. Dressed in his simple orange and yellow robes, wearing rubber chappals, carrying a small backpack, Tenzin Rigzin was humility and meekness itself. Hanging at the back of the march, out of the limelight, out of the sight of press cameras, bowing low with hands joined together in the traditional Buddhist greeting to everyone who approached, and beating a small hide-covered drum was Tenzin Rigzin. Over and over, softly; again and again. This was his peace drum and he was not about to get tired beating it. Incidentally, Tenzin Rigzin was one of those who appealed to ‘Prime Minister’ Shaukat Aziz for expediting their visas while they waited at the border for a week and more, to no avail of course.
A short note about the influence ‘Prime Minister’ Shaukat Aziz has over the regime he nominally heads: whilst he promised representatives of the peace-marchers when they met him in Karachi some months ago that the Indians would get a 150 visas, they ended up getting only 12! And those too much delayed. Good reason for him to reconsider his position if you ask me, and resign. Also, reason for all future requests to do with the government to be routed to the Big General himself: poor old Shaukat Aziz being neither here nor there. Seems to me his ‘prime ministry’ will be shorter lived than poor old Jamali’s! Any bets? I am good for Rs 10 any time.
[...].
Kamran Shafi is a freelance columnist
April 21, 2005
22 Indians not issued visas (Waqar Gillani)
Daily Times
India-Pakistan peace march left in the dust
* 22 Indians supposed to arrive not issued visas
By Waqar Gillani
LAHORE: The 22 Indians supposed to arrive at Wagah today were unable to cross the border at Wagah because they were not granted visas due to ‘security concerns’, said Karamat Ali of the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research.
Pakistani Peace Coalition, an informal alliance of non-government organisations, temporarily halted the peace march which started in New Delhi and is scheduled to end in Multan on May 11.
“Though we received a report from India early yesterday (Tuesday) stating that the Indian activists had been granted visas and would arrive in Lahore accompanied by nine Pakistanis today, by late night we knew that their names had not been cleared by Pakistan,” Ali told Daily Times at Wagah, where he received the nine Pakistanis.
He said that the NGOs were pursuing the matter with the Interior Ministry. “We have been told that the Pakistani High Commission in India is not clearing the names as a security measure. We believe there is no security risk for Indians marching to Multan.”
Ali added the march would be halted in Lahore. “We have requested the nine Pakistanis to wait at least a week before returning home.” The future of the march depends on the arrival of the Indians. He said that a meeting would be held in Multan on April 24 to formulate a strategy for the peace march. “As a last resort, we can ask the Pakistani marchers to walk to Multan and conclude the march in May.”
Arrival of Pakistanis The nine Pakistanis arrived at Wagah on Wednesday afternoon. They were received by dozens of peace activists, who chanted slogans saying the Kashmir issue should be solved with dialogue and not guns. The marchers went to India last week to cross into Pakistan with their Indian counterparts.
The 200-strong turnout at Wagah was much lower than the organisers’ claims. The departure time for journalists to Wagah from the press club was changed twice. During the journey, the organisers’ vehicle was called back, and the press people had to go the rest of the way on their own. Due to this, a dispute arose between the organisers and journalists at the border. The media people criticised the organisers’ attitude after they refused to acknowledge the oversight. Later, they demanded an apology from the pressmen. The main organisers reached the border late. The organisers had also avoided the media people before the arrival.
The Pakistani peace activists who crossed the border condemned the government for not issuing visas to the Indians. They said that the act was a contradiction of the governments’ claims of peace.
Residents of Jalo More and Shalimar Garden arranged a reception in honour of the Pakistani activists.
India-Pakistan peace march left in the dust
* 22 Indians supposed to arrive not issued visas
By Waqar Gillani
LAHORE: The 22 Indians supposed to arrive at Wagah today were unable to cross the border at Wagah because they were not granted visas due to ‘security concerns’, said Karamat Ali of the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research.
Pakistani Peace Coalition, an informal alliance of non-government organisations, temporarily halted the peace march which started in New Delhi and is scheduled to end in Multan on May 11.
“Though we received a report from India early yesterday (Tuesday) stating that the Indian activists had been granted visas and would arrive in Lahore accompanied by nine Pakistanis today, by late night we knew that their names had not been cleared by Pakistan,” Ali told Daily Times at Wagah, where he received the nine Pakistanis.
He said that the NGOs were pursuing the matter with the Interior Ministry. “We have been told that the Pakistani High Commission in India is not clearing the names as a security measure. We believe there is no security risk for Indians marching to Multan.”
Ali added the march would be halted in Lahore. “We have requested the nine Pakistanis to wait at least a week before returning home.” The future of the march depends on the arrival of the Indians. He said that a meeting would be held in Multan on April 24 to formulate a strategy for the peace march. “As a last resort, we can ask the Pakistani marchers to walk to Multan and conclude the march in May.”
Arrival of Pakistanis The nine Pakistanis arrived at Wagah on Wednesday afternoon. They were received by dozens of peace activists, who chanted slogans saying the Kashmir issue should be solved with dialogue and not guns. The marchers went to India last week to cross into Pakistan with their Indian counterparts.
The 200-strong turnout at Wagah was much lower than the organisers’ claims. The departure time for journalists to Wagah from the press club was changed twice. During the journey, the organisers’ vehicle was called back, and the press people had to go the rest of the way on their own. Due to this, a dispute arose between the organisers and journalists at the border. The media people criticised the organisers’ attitude after they refused to acknowledge the oversight. Later, they demanded an apology from the pressmen. The main organisers reached the border late. The organisers had also avoided the media people before the arrival.
The Pakistani peace activists who crossed the border condemned the government for not issuing visas to the Indians. They said that the act was a contradiction of the governments’ claims of peace.
Residents of Jalo More and Shalimar Garden arranged a reception in honour of the Pakistani activists.
April 20, 2005
Indians marchers could not cross the border; Press conference in Delhi 21 April
INDIA PAKISTAN PEACE MARCH
Delhi to Multan, 23rd March to 11th May 2005
Press Invite
India Pakistan Peace March started on 23rd March from New Delhi. This
people to people initiative is lead by Dr.Sandeep Pandey, Magsaysay
Awardee and noted social activist, with the objective of building
peace & harmony between two countries. The march was well received by
citizens along its route and after walking around 500 kms, the
marchers reached Wagha border on 20th April.
Nine Pakistani Marchers were able to get visas and clearances from
Indian and Pak governments. They historically walked on Indian roads
for the cause of peace from 14th April to 20th April. However, the
visas have not been granted to Indian Marchers, they could not cross
wagha and walk on Pakistan roads. In spite of Sandeep Pandeyís
meeting with Pak Prime Minister Shoukat Aziz on 12th March in
Islamabad and Pak PMís assurances for supporting the cause, Indian
Marchers did not get visas to walk across.
Pakistani peace marchers have crossed Wagha border on 20th April and
they will walk to Multan (Pakistan) where March will end on 11th of
May with concluding ceremony.
To express our feelings in this regard and give more information
about our plans further, we are arranging the press conference.
Venue: Press Club, Raisina Road, New Delhi
Time: 3.30 pm to 5.30 pm, 21st April, 2005
Speakers: Sandeep Pandey and fellow marchers
With warm regards
Harshavardhan Purandare Shree Prakash
Asha For Education INSAF
M: 0-9322696617 M: 9818030423 mumbaikar100@gmail.com
insafindia@gmail.com
Contact: INSAF, A124/6 Katwaria Sarai New Delhi 110016, Tel: 26517814
/55663958
Supported By: Kuldip Nayyar, Nirmala Deshpande, Medha Patkar, Aruna
Roy, Anil Chaudhary, Mahesh Bhatt, Meera, Nandita Das, Nafisa Ali and
Ghazal Srinivas.
Delhi to Multan, 23rd March to 11th May 2005
Press Invite
India Pakistan Peace March started on 23rd March from New Delhi. This
people to people initiative is lead by Dr.Sandeep Pandey, Magsaysay
Awardee and noted social activist, with the objective of building
peace & harmony between two countries. The march was well received by
citizens along its route and after walking around 500 kms, the
marchers reached Wagha border on 20th April.
Nine Pakistani Marchers were able to get visas and clearances from
Indian and Pak governments. They historically walked on Indian roads
for the cause of peace from 14th April to 20th April. However, the
visas have not been granted to Indian Marchers, they could not cross
wagha and walk on Pakistan roads. In spite of Sandeep Pandeyís
meeting with Pak Prime Minister Shoukat Aziz on 12th March in
Islamabad and Pak PMís assurances for supporting the cause, Indian
Marchers did not get visas to walk across.
Pakistani peace marchers have crossed Wagha border on 20th April and
they will walk to Multan (Pakistan) where March will end on 11th of
May with concluding ceremony.
To express our feelings in this regard and give more information
about our plans further, we are arranging the press conference.
Venue: Press Club, Raisina Road, New Delhi
Time: 3.30 pm to 5.30 pm, 21st April, 2005
Speakers: Sandeep Pandey and fellow marchers
With warm regards
Harshavardhan Purandare Shree Prakash
Asha For Education INSAF
M: 0-9322696617 M: 9818030423 mumbaikar100@gmail.com
insafindia@gmail.com
Contact: INSAF, A124/6 Katwaria Sarai New Delhi 110016, Tel: 26517814
/55663958
Supported By: Kuldip Nayyar, Nirmala Deshpande, Medha Patkar, Aruna
Roy, Anil Chaudhary, Mahesh Bhatt, Meera, Nandita Das, Nafisa Ali and
Ghazal Srinivas.
22 Indians to arrive in Pakistan today - Events planned in Lahore
(Daily Times - April 20, 2005 )
INDIA-PAKISTAN JOINT PEACE MARCH: 22 INDIANS ARRIVE TODAY IN PAKISTAN
BY WAQAR GILLANI
LAHORE: As part of an India-Pakistan joint peace march from the shrine of Saint Nizamudidn Aulia in New Delhi to the shrine of Saint Bahauddin Zakariya in Multan, 22 Indians will cross into Pakistan at Wagah today (Wednesday).
The Indians will be accompanied by nine Pakistanis who had crossed into India last week for the march. The walk was contrived by an informal alliance of non-government organisations, including the Pakistan Peace Coalition and the National Alliance of Peoples’ Movements in India. Originally, 180 people were scheduled to participate in it. It will continue till May 11.
The Joint Action Committee for Peoples’ Rights, an alliance of over 30 NGOs in Lahore, on Tuesday chalked out a plan to receive the delegates at Wagah. It has also planned their activities for the three days they will stay in the city.
The group will walk to Shalimar Garden on Wednesday before wrapping up for the day. On April 21, they will reach the Lahore High Court and on March 22 they will leave for Multan via the Grand Trunk Road.
The peace activists have been invited to two dinners, one by the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA) and the other by the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).
Karamat Ali of the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education & Research (PILER), one of the main organisers, told Daily Times that the Indians were originally denied visas. “They were only given permission to enter Pakistan after intervention by the federal interior minister,” he said
The Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi granted visas to just 22 of the 140 people who applied, he said. The Indian group is led by Dr Sandeep Panda[y].
Dr Panda[y], who is from Lucknow, proposed the march plan during a joint convention of the Pakistan-India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) at Karachi in 2003.
INDIA-PAKISTAN JOINT PEACE MARCH: 22 INDIANS ARRIVE TODAY IN PAKISTAN
BY WAQAR GILLANI
LAHORE: As part of an India-Pakistan joint peace march from the shrine of Saint Nizamudidn Aulia in New Delhi to the shrine of Saint Bahauddin Zakariya in Multan, 22 Indians will cross into Pakistan at Wagah today (Wednesday).
The Indians will be accompanied by nine Pakistanis who had crossed into India last week for the march. The walk was contrived by an informal alliance of non-government organisations, including the Pakistan Peace Coalition and the National Alliance of Peoples’ Movements in India. Originally, 180 people were scheduled to participate in it. It will continue till May 11.
The Joint Action Committee for Peoples’ Rights, an alliance of over 30 NGOs in Lahore, on Tuesday chalked out a plan to receive the delegates at Wagah. It has also planned their activities for the three days they will stay in the city.
The group will walk to Shalimar Garden on Wednesday before wrapping up for the day. On April 21, they will reach the Lahore High Court and on March 22 they will leave for Multan via the Grand Trunk Road.
The peace activists have been invited to two dinners, one by the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA) and the other by the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).
Karamat Ali of the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education & Research (PILER), one of the main organisers, told Daily Times that the Indians were originally denied visas. “They were only given permission to enter Pakistan after intervention by the federal interior minister,” he said
The Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi granted visas to just 22 of the 140 people who applied, he said. The Indian group is led by Dr Sandeep Panda[y].
Dr Panda[y], who is from Lucknow, proposed the march plan during a joint convention of the Pakistan-India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) at Karachi in 2003.
April 19, 2005
Priorities in India, Pakistan relations (Sandeep Pandey)
[Kashmir Times, April 18, 2005]
Priorities in India, Pakistan relations
By Sandeep Pandey
When we reached Phillaur from Ludhiana we met the first resistance
to our position on Kashmir during the Peace March. Our host here was
Mr. Johal, president of the committee which runs the Gurudwara where
we were to stay. He registered his protest as soon as we reached
Phillaur saying that our position that the Kashmir issue must be
resolved according to the wishes of people of J&K was not acceptable
to him as it was a position which favoured Pakistan. He was of the
view that Kashmir was an integral part of India and only Indians had
a right to decide about the future of Kashmir. It was obviously a
narrow nationalist position held by him and shared by few people in
the country. The meeting was being held in a Hanuman temple.
He snatched our signature campaign sheet and started striking out
the statement on Kahsmir. He was stopped from doing this after two
sheets as he was told that there were other people who had signed
the sheets who did not share his opinion on Kashmir and instead
agreed with the position of the Peace March. The peace marchers
tried to avoid getting into an unpleasant situation with their host
for the evening. They tried to reason with him but he was not in a
mood to listen to any other point of view.
In the night after the dinner at the Gurudwara his associates joined
a meeting that we were holding to discuss how to tackle such a
situation in future. Another round of discussion took place on
Kashmir and we tried to reason with them that the any possible
humane solution to the problem must involve the people from J&K. We
explained that the narrow nationalist view held by Indians from
outside Kashmir, or for that matter Pakistanis outside Kashmir, was
born out of feudal mindset and in a world in which people were more
sensitive to human rights violations and also democratic way of
thinking, the conventional nationalist Indian and Pakistani view
could not be imposed on the people of Kashmir. Also, in a world
where economic policy of globalization was taking over, the concept
of nation state was weakening and even the two Governments probably
realize that staying ahead in economic development was more
important than in arms race, taking away pressure from the
governments to make a prestige issue out of Kashmir. It was also
pointed out that the traditional concept of nationalism was not
shared by a major section of the society including dalits, tribals,
women, and other marginalized sections, who were busy with more
basic struggles for life and livelihood than engage with the
question of national pride. They, for example, were not likely to
feel the same enthusiasm if India were to beat Pakistan in a game of
Cricket compared to people who were close to the ruling class. We
don't know whether this discussion had any affect on the associates
of Mr. Johal but he did come to see us off in the morning and seemed
to be more calm than the previous evening. He had probably accepted
the difference in point of view held by him and us and had
reconciled himself with this fact.
Our march while it was in Ludhiana was shown on the national TV
Doordarshan news. As we were walking from Phillaur to Phagwara a
man, Paramjit, who was in the business of buying and selling
buffaloes, after recognizing us came over from the other side of the
road and stopped us. He expressed his happiness that such a march
was taking place and confidently told us that we were going to get
visas to cross over into Pakistan. At that time we knew that the
Pakistani government had dashed all our hopes by refusing to allow
marchers from Pakistan to cross over into India. But Paramjit's
resolve reflected the opinion of common people that people should be
allowed to cross the border freely. Little did we know then that two
days later the Internal Ministry of Pakistan would actually grant
permission to the Pakistani marchers to join the march. This has
also opened the possibility of us going to Pakistan and realizing
our dream of a joint march through the territories of India and
Pakistan and jointly crossing the Wagha.
As we were walking out of Phagwara towards Jalandhar a man came from
behind on a bicycle and got down from his bicycle after stopping
next to me. Surjit Singh earns his living as a Tadi Kirtan singer.
His wife is also in the same vocation. He first congratulated us on
taking out this march. He told me that he had signed our signature
campaign which my colleague Chandralekha from Hardoi District of
U.P. was carrying walking behind me. He then offered a suggestion
with which I was pleasantly surprised.
He said that the third point in the signature campaign, about
allowing people from two countries to meet freely and, if possible,
doing away with Passport-Visa system, should have a higher priority
than the first two points. The first point was about two sides
resolving their disputes peacefully through dialogue, including the
issue of Kashmir according to the wishes of people of J&K and the
second point was about doing away with nuclear weapons, land mines
and reducing the defence budgets so that resources could be spent on
development of poor people on both sides of the border. Surjit's
argument was that for the common people from India and Pakistan the
third point was closest to their heart and it was also probably the
easiest for the two Governments to agree to.
The impact that this could have would also create an atmosphere
where the Governments will find it easier to make progress on the
first two points. I looked at him in admiration and promised him
that I would mention his views in an article. I'm truly impressed by
the understanding of Surjit Singh who is a representative of the
common people. Only somebody like him could have thought like this
because we intellectuals often cannot free ourselves from our
preferences and biases. I'm glad I met Surjit Singh, the Tadi Kirtan
singer, on my way and thank him for educating me about the
priorities of issues as common people see it. I kept cursing myself
why I could not see this simple logic when I was drafting the
signature campaign text. Anyway, we're glad that we've collected
over 5000 signatures on this statement and so far and except for Mr.
Johal, nobody seems to have any problems with the point of view that
we're putting forward during the India Pakistan Peace March.
Priorities in India, Pakistan relations
By Sandeep Pandey
When we reached Phillaur from Ludhiana we met the first resistance
to our position on Kashmir during the Peace March. Our host here was
Mr. Johal, president of the committee which runs the Gurudwara where
we were to stay. He registered his protest as soon as we reached
Phillaur saying that our position that the Kashmir issue must be
resolved according to the wishes of people of J&K was not acceptable
to him as it was a position which favoured Pakistan. He was of the
view that Kashmir was an integral part of India and only Indians had
a right to decide about the future of Kashmir. It was obviously a
narrow nationalist position held by him and shared by few people in
the country. The meeting was being held in a Hanuman temple.
He snatched our signature campaign sheet and started striking out
the statement on Kahsmir. He was stopped from doing this after two
sheets as he was told that there were other people who had signed
the sheets who did not share his opinion on Kashmir and instead
agreed with the position of the Peace March. The peace marchers
tried to avoid getting into an unpleasant situation with their host
for the evening. They tried to reason with him but he was not in a
mood to listen to any other point of view.
In the night after the dinner at the Gurudwara his associates joined
a meeting that we were holding to discuss how to tackle such a
situation in future. Another round of discussion took place on
Kashmir and we tried to reason with them that the any possible
humane solution to the problem must involve the people from J&K. We
explained that the narrow nationalist view held by Indians from
outside Kashmir, or for that matter Pakistanis outside Kashmir, was
born out of feudal mindset and in a world in which people were more
sensitive to human rights violations and also democratic way of
thinking, the conventional nationalist Indian and Pakistani view
could not be imposed on the people of Kashmir. Also, in a world
where economic policy of globalization was taking over, the concept
of nation state was weakening and even the two Governments probably
realize that staying ahead in economic development was more
important than in arms race, taking away pressure from the
governments to make a prestige issue out of Kashmir. It was also
pointed out that the traditional concept of nationalism was not
shared by a major section of the society including dalits, tribals,
women, and other marginalized sections, who were busy with more
basic struggles for life and livelihood than engage with the
question of national pride. They, for example, were not likely to
feel the same enthusiasm if India were to beat Pakistan in a game of
Cricket compared to people who were close to the ruling class. We
don't know whether this discussion had any affect on the associates
of Mr. Johal but he did come to see us off in the morning and seemed
to be more calm than the previous evening. He had probably accepted
the difference in point of view held by him and us and had
reconciled himself with this fact.
Our march while it was in Ludhiana was shown on the national TV
Doordarshan news. As we were walking from Phillaur to Phagwara a
man, Paramjit, who was in the business of buying and selling
buffaloes, after recognizing us came over from the other side of the
road and stopped us. He expressed his happiness that such a march
was taking place and confidently told us that we were going to get
visas to cross over into Pakistan. At that time we knew that the
Pakistani government had dashed all our hopes by refusing to allow
marchers from Pakistan to cross over into India. But Paramjit's
resolve reflected the opinion of common people that people should be
allowed to cross the border freely. Little did we know then that two
days later the Internal Ministry of Pakistan would actually grant
permission to the Pakistani marchers to join the march. This has
also opened the possibility of us going to Pakistan and realizing
our dream of a joint march through the territories of India and
Pakistan and jointly crossing the Wagha.
As we were walking out of Phagwara towards Jalandhar a man came from
behind on a bicycle and got down from his bicycle after stopping
next to me. Surjit Singh earns his living as a Tadi Kirtan singer.
His wife is also in the same vocation. He first congratulated us on
taking out this march. He told me that he had signed our signature
campaign which my colleague Chandralekha from Hardoi District of
U.P. was carrying walking behind me. He then offered a suggestion
with which I was pleasantly surprised.
He said that the third point in the signature campaign, about
allowing people from two countries to meet freely and, if possible,
doing away with Passport-Visa system, should have a higher priority
than the first two points. The first point was about two sides
resolving their disputes peacefully through dialogue, including the
issue of Kashmir according to the wishes of people of J&K and the
second point was about doing away with nuclear weapons, land mines
and reducing the defence budgets so that resources could be spent on
development of poor people on both sides of the border. Surjit's
argument was that for the common people from India and Pakistan the
third point was closest to their heart and it was also probably the
easiest for the two Governments to agree to.
The impact that this could have would also create an atmosphere
where the Governments will find it easier to make progress on the
first two points. I looked at him in admiration and promised him
that I would mention his views in an article. I'm truly impressed by
the understanding of Surjit Singh who is a representative of the
common people. Only somebody like him could have thought like this
because we intellectuals often cannot free ourselves from our
preferences and biases. I'm glad I met Surjit Singh, the Tadi Kirtan
singer, on my way and thank him for educating me about the
priorities of issues as common people see it. I kept cursing myself
why I could not see this simple logic when I was drafting the
signature campaign text. Anyway, we're glad that we've collected
over 5000 signatures on this statement and so far and except for Mr.
Johal, nobody seems to have any problems with the point of view that
we're putting forward during the India Pakistan Peace March.
solidarity event in support of the marchers Wagah Border 20 April 2005
INDO-PAK PEACE MARCH
Delhi to Multan, 23 March - 11May
Dear Friends,
As you all know, India Pakistan Peace March, Delhi to Multan is on
its way with great support of local citizens along the route. Since
last couple of days Pakistani marchers have joined Indian marchers,
the dream of walking together on roads of India and Pakistan is now
becoming a reality.
We had earlier planned to cross Wagha border on 18th April, but due
to administrative delays in visa processing, now we will be able to
cross on 20th April.
The ceremony for expressing solidarity in support of the marchers
will start at 10 a.m. on 20th April. The occasion will be marked with
inspiring cultural activities performed by eminent Indian and
Pakistani artists.
We all request you to be at Wagha and strengthen the cause of
Indo-Pak friendship, peace and harmony.
Regards,
Sandeep Pandey Karamat Ali
India Pakistan Peace March Team
P.S. even if you are reaching as per earlier schedule on 18th April,
you will be participating in welcome programmes organised in
Amritsar.
Lodging: Guru Arjun Dev Niwas, Golden Temple, Amritsar
Delhi to Multan, 23 March - 11May
Dear Friends,
As you all know, India Pakistan Peace March, Delhi to Multan is on
its way with great support of local citizens along the route. Since
last couple of days Pakistani marchers have joined Indian marchers,
the dream of walking together on roads of India and Pakistan is now
becoming a reality.
We had earlier planned to cross Wagha border on 18th April, but due
to administrative delays in visa processing, now we will be able to
cross on 20th April.
The ceremony for expressing solidarity in support of the marchers
will start at 10 a.m. on 20th April. The occasion will be marked with
inspiring cultural activities performed by eminent Indian and
Pakistani artists.
We all request you to be at Wagha and strengthen the cause of
Indo-Pak friendship, peace and harmony.
Regards,
Sandeep Pandey Karamat Ali
India Pakistan Peace March Team
P.S. even if you are reaching as per earlier schedule on 18th April,
you will be participating in welcome programmes organised in
Amritsar.
Lodging: Guru Arjun Dev Niwas, Golden Temple, Amritsar
April 16, 2005
Music Album 'Shanti Yatra' CD released
Press Release
New Delhi, 15th April 2005
Telugu Ghazal Singer meets President Kalam
The famous telugu ghazal singer, Ghazal Srinivas met President of
india, Abdul Kalam to publish the CD of his music album 'Shanti
Yatra' dedicated to India-Pak Peace march , Delhi to Multan.
The President met Sriniwas at 1.40 p.m. He was keen to know
objectives of peace march and said that peace is essential need of
mankind all over the world. Srinivas explained him that 'This peace
march lead by Dr.Sandeep Pandey is a people to people initiative and
has objective of spreading love and brotherhood between citizens of
both countries.' President said that exchange programme for children
and young boys are need of time as they should know the real history
of their country and help to take right decisions for future.
Srinivas gave him more information on his street plays & songs for
social missions. The president appreciated Srinivas's work with
prisoners, using music for encouraging prisoners to adopt better
values was something innovative.
He then released the album 'Shanti Yatra' and asked Srinivas to sing
one song. The 20 minutes long meeting ended with the words of songs
'Maati Alag Hai, Dil to hamare ek hone chahiye' resonating in air,
the peace march will be reaching Wagha by 18th April.
New Delhi, 15th April 2005
Telugu Ghazal Singer meets President Kalam
The famous telugu ghazal singer, Ghazal Srinivas met President of
india, Abdul Kalam to publish the CD of his music album 'Shanti
Yatra' dedicated to India-Pak Peace march , Delhi to Multan.
The President met Sriniwas at 1.40 p.m. He was keen to know
objectives of peace march and said that peace is essential need of
mankind all over the world. Srinivas explained him that 'This peace
march lead by Dr.Sandeep Pandey is a people to people initiative and
has objective of spreading love and brotherhood between citizens of
both countries.' President said that exchange programme for children
and young boys are need of time as they should know the real history
of their country and help to take right decisions for future.
Srinivas gave him more information on his street plays & songs for
social missions. The president appreciated Srinivas's work with
prisoners, using music for encouraging prisoners to adopt better
values was something innovative.
He then released the album 'Shanti Yatra' and asked Srinivas to sing
one song. The 20 minutes long meeting ended with the words of songs
'Maati Alag Hai, Dil to hamare ek hone chahiye' resonating in air,
the peace march will be reaching Wagha by 18th April.
English translation of Signature campaign text - Delhi-Multan March
India Pakistan Peace march
Delhi to Multan, 23rd March to 11th May
We support India Pakistan Peace March and demand,
1.India and Pakistan should resolve their disputes through peaceful
dialogue. The Kashmir problem should be solved considering opinions
of J&K people.
2.India and Pakistan should abolish their nuclear weapons, should
remove the armed forces and landmines across the border. The defence
budget should be reduced and resources should be directed towards
development of poor sections of both countries.
3.The traveling across the border should be made easy for citizens of
both sides and if possible , allow non-visa entry across the border.
The above message will be followed by a table with columns listed
below, each signature sheet has 50 entries.
Column1: Serial no
Column 2: Signature, Name, Address, phone Email
Column 3: Support Amount for the cause
This is right time for change!
Delhi to Multan, 23rd March to 11th May
We support India Pakistan Peace March and demand,
1.India and Pakistan should resolve their disputes through peaceful
dialogue. The Kashmir problem should be solved considering opinions
of J&K people.
2.India and Pakistan should abolish their nuclear weapons, should
remove the armed forces and landmines across the border. The defence
budget should be reduced and resources should be directed towards
development of poor sections of both countries.
3.The traveling across the border should be made easy for citizens of
both sides and if possible , allow non-visa entry across the border.
The above message will be followed by a table with columns listed
below, each signature sheet has 50 entries.
Column1: Serial no
Column 2: Signature, Name, Address, phone Email
Column 3: Support Amount for the cause
This is right time for change!
April 15, 2005
Symphony: Waters of Beas Bring People of India Pakistan Together (Sandeep Pandey)
SYMPHONY: WATERS OF BEAS BRING PEOPLE OF INDIA PAKISTAN TOGETHER . . .
Sandeep Pandey
9 people from Pakistan who were granted special permission yesterday
by Pak Interior Ministry to cross over Wagah border into India to
join the historic people's initiative India Pakistan peace march,
entered India and proceeded towards the peace march which was in
Beas today. It was a coincidence but certainly extremely poignant
that when the peace march was near the river bank of river Beas,
people from Pakistan moved to join this march and there was a
spontaneous decision to step down into the river Beas and hug each
other there∑ symbolic of the belief that the waters will wash away
their hearts and leave pristine love and compassion for each other
all around.
It was definitely an unforgettable moment in the peace march
when people of both nations took a pledge and resolved not to
believe in artificial manmade boundaries to divide water, land or
human beings. It was also symbolic of the union of human beings and
nature - drenched with waters of Beas and love, the marchers stole a
moment away to interact with each other and share held-up stories
and experiences amongst each other -
Peace March is certainly gaining momentum day-by-day since
it began on March 23, 2005. Today it was the 23rd day of the peace
march and a special day indeed with friends from Pakistan joining in
too.
Tomorrow it shall reach Amritsar and then head towards Wagah border
on April 18, 2005. The time for another test is near: will Indian
government allow them to walk over the Wagah border as a reciprocal
and friendship gesture? Will they get visas (so far they haven't
been awarded visas) from Pakistani government? Will the people of
both nations be allowed to take ahead the friendship gesture across
Pakistan?
There are many questions of course. Seeing the response of people of
India and Pakistan, the answer is resounding affirmative Yes.
Response of governments of both nations, is certainly yet-to-be-
seen, and keeps us guessing. With the recent peace gestures at
governmental levels, aspirations are indeed soaring new heights∑
Sandeep Pandey Karamat Ali
NAPM Convener PILER
India Pakistan
Sandeep Pandey
9 people from Pakistan who were granted special permission yesterday
by Pak Interior Ministry to cross over Wagah border into India to
join the historic people's initiative India Pakistan peace march,
entered India and proceeded towards the peace march which was in
Beas today. It was a coincidence but certainly extremely poignant
that when the peace march was near the river bank of river Beas,
people from Pakistan moved to join this march and there was a
spontaneous decision to step down into the river Beas and hug each
other there∑ symbolic of the belief that the waters will wash away
their hearts and leave pristine love and compassion for each other
all around.
It was definitely an unforgettable moment in the peace march
when people of both nations took a pledge and resolved not to
believe in artificial manmade boundaries to divide water, land or
human beings. It was also symbolic of the union of human beings and
nature - drenched with waters of Beas and love, the marchers stole a
moment away to interact with each other and share held-up stories
and experiences amongst each other -
Peace March is certainly gaining momentum day-by-day since
it began on March 23, 2005. Today it was the 23rd day of the peace
march and a special day indeed with friends from Pakistan joining in
too.
Tomorrow it shall reach Amritsar and then head towards Wagah border
on April 18, 2005. The time for another test is near: will Indian
government allow them to walk over the Wagah border as a reciprocal
and friendship gesture? Will they get visas (so far they haven't
been awarded visas) from Pakistani government? Will the people of
both nations be allowed to take ahead the friendship gesture across
Pakistan?
There are many questions of course. Seeing the response of people of
India and Pakistan, the answer is resounding affirmative Yes.
Response of governments of both nations, is certainly yet-to-be-
seen, and keeps us guessing. With the recent peace gestures at
governmental levels, aspirations are indeed soaring new heights∑
Sandeep Pandey Karamat Ali
NAPM Convener PILER
India Pakistan
April 10, 2005
Padyatra reaches Ludhiana (Amrita Chaudhry)
[Ludhiana Newsline - April 10, 2005]
Peace road stretches from Delhi to Multan
Padyatra reaches city : Resentment after elegates from Pakistan not allowed to take part in the march.
amrita chaudhry
Ludhiana, April 9: WHEN the governments keep people away, the human spirits win. This is precisely what has happened after the Pakistan government refused to allow nine Pakistanis to participate in the ongoing Indo-Pak peace padyatra. For the audience at the auditorium of Ramgarhia Girls College today, the voice of Lahore-based Sayeeda Deep was loud and clear. ‘‘We may have been refused permission to participate, but this has only strengthened our conviction to take this yatra on from Wagah to Multan.’’
The writing on the wall is clear — people on both sides of the border want stronger ties. Sayeeda, a social activist in her 50s who works for the underprivileged, is part of the group that is working for a pro-democracy environment in Pakistan, and want people’s participation in the peace process.
Said Sandeep Pandey of National Alliance of People’s Movements, who is leading this yatra, ‘‘These people were to participate in this peace walk and had visas too. But today they were told by their government that they could not be a part of this yatra. Similarly we too will not be allowed to enter Pakistan. But it has been decided that this march, which began from New Delhi and has to culminate at Multan, will carry on as planned. The Pakistanis will take forward this march.’’
Pandey adds that the march in pro-democracy, and the Pakistan government is not ready for it yet. Had we travelled through Pakistan, this would have strengthened the people there who are fighting for democracy. But the march will reach Multan. It is time that the peace process is taken away from the hands of the governments and given to ordinary people.’’
He regretted that while the Pakistan government can give permission for cricket matches, visits to religious places or symposiums, a peace march is not permitted.
Peace marchers given a warm welcome
The peace marchers of National Alliance of People’s Movement received a warm reception at Punjab Agricultural University today. They were welcomed by students, faculty members and the non-teaching employees of the university. A welcome programme was also organised for them at Jacob Hall.
A play titled Te Rome Balda Raha written and directed by Sompal Heera was also staged. Journalist and human rights activist Prafull Bidwai also spoke on the occasion and urged people to fight for peace. In the evening, a seminar on ‘Disarmament of South-East Asia’ was organised by the Indian Doctors for Peace and Development.
Peace road stretches from Delhi to Multan
Padyatra reaches city : Resentment after elegates from Pakistan not allowed to take part in the march.
amrita chaudhry
Ludhiana, April 9: WHEN the governments keep people away, the human spirits win. This is precisely what has happened after the Pakistan government refused to allow nine Pakistanis to participate in the ongoing Indo-Pak peace padyatra. For the audience at the auditorium of Ramgarhia Girls College today, the voice of Lahore-based Sayeeda Deep was loud and clear. ‘‘We may have been refused permission to participate, but this has only strengthened our conviction to take this yatra on from Wagah to Multan.’’
The writing on the wall is clear — people on both sides of the border want stronger ties. Sayeeda, a social activist in her 50s who works for the underprivileged, is part of the group that is working for a pro-democracy environment in Pakistan, and want people’s participation in the peace process.
Said Sandeep Pandey of National Alliance of People’s Movements, who is leading this yatra, ‘‘These people were to participate in this peace walk and had visas too. But today they were told by their government that they could not be a part of this yatra. Similarly we too will not be allowed to enter Pakistan. But it has been decided that this march, which began from New Delhi and has to culminate at Multan, will carry on as planned. The Pakistanis will take forward this march.’’
Pandey adds that the march in pro-democracy, and the Pakistan government is not ready for it yet. Had we travelled through Pakistan, this would have strengthened the people there who are fighting for democracy. But the march will reach Multan. It is time that the peace process is taken away from the hands of the governments and given to ordinary people.’’
He regretted that while the Pakistan government can give permission for cricket matches, visits to religious places or symposiums, a peace march is not permitted.
Peace marchers given a warm welcome
The peace marchers of National Alliance of People’s Movement received a warm reception at Punjab Agricultural University today. They were welcomed by students, faculty members and the non-teaching employees of the university. A welcome programme was also organised for them at Jacob Hall.
A play titled Te Rome Balda Raha written and directed by Sompal Heera was also staged. Journalist and human rights activist Prafull Bidwai also spoke on the occasion and urged people to fight for peace. In the evening, a seminar on ‘Disarmament of South-East Asia’ was organised by the Indian Doctors for Peace and Development.
Ludhiana seminar 'Prospects of peace and security in South Asia'
The Tribune - April 10, 2005
'INDIA, PAK MUST END HOSTILITY'
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, April 9
Human rights activist and journalist Praful Bidwai said here today
that India and Pakistan needed to sit together and seriously discuss
the issue of demilitarisation for ending hostility.
Speaking at a seminar on 'Prospects of peace and security in South
Asia' in the context of arrival of India and Pakistan peace march
that reached here yesterday on its way from Delhi to Multan, at the
Ramgarhia College for Women here today, Mr Bidwai said, "India and
Pakistan stand at a historic crossroad, but they can end 58 years of
hostility and war and live peacefully by allowing free movement of
people".
He said, for this, it was not enough that there was improvement in
state-to-state relation and people-to-people contact or even discuss
Kashmir. "They must put the issue of demilitarisation and reduction
of forces and work towards nuclear disarmament", he asserted.
He said India had doubled its military spending since 1998 and
Pakistan has followed the same. Today India's defence budget stands
at Rs 1 lakh crore ($ 23 billion), including establishment cost and
pensions. Pakistan's declared military budget last year was Rs 200
billion ($ 4.5 billion). In reality, it probably was $6.8 billion
and is expected to rise by 25 per cent plus. Both countries spent
more on military than on health or education. Both have their foot
pressed on a nuclear accelerator. Unless this change is brought
about there can be no durable and sustainable peace between them,"
he said.
Dr Sandeep Pandey, who is leading the padyatra, said during the
march till date, we have met scores of people and exchanged ideas of
peace and brotherhood with them in person. People of both the
countries are longing for peace. This desire of the people has to be
developed into a strong movement so as to force the governments take
further effective measures, particularly for the nuclear disarmament
of the region."
Dr L.S. Chawla, president of the Indian Doctors for Peace and
Development (IDPD), said no country could benefit from nuclear
weapons.
Other dignitaries present on the occasion included Mr Dewan Jagdish
Chander, Mr Ranjodh Singh, Dr Balbir Shah, Dr R.P.S. Aulukh, Mr
Tejinder Mohi, Dr Daler Singh, Dr Gurpreet Ratan, Mr D.P. Maur, Ms
Gurcharan Kochar, Mr Vijay Kumar, Mr Amrit Pal, Mr Sohan Singh, Mr
Kuldeep Binder, Mr Ramadhar Singh.
Earlier, in the day, the march went to Punjab Agricultural
University after passing through main bazaars of the city. A welcome
function was organised by the PAU employees union and the PAU
Students Association (PAUSA) in which over 300 persons participated.
This was addressed by Mr Praful Bidwal, Dr Sandeep Pandey, Dr L.S.
Chawla, Dr R.P.S. Aulakh, Mr D.P. Maur, Mr Sarwan Singh, president,
PAUSA Ms Gurcharan Kochar, Mr Tejinder Singh Mohi, Ms Kusum Lata, Dr
Gulzar Pandher. Large number of schoolchildren also participated in
the function.
A play on Indo-Pak relations, directed by Prof Sompal of Doraha, was
also staged
'INDIA, PAK MUST END HOSTILITY'
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, April 9
Human rights activist and journalist Praful Bidwai said here today
that India and Pakistan needed to sit together and seriously discuss
the issue of demilitarisation for ending hostility.
Speaking at a seminar on 'Prospects of peace and security in South
Asia' in the context of arrival of India and Pakistan peace march
that reached here yesterday on its way from Delhi to Multan, at the
Ramgarhia College for Women here today, Mr Bidwai said, "India and
Pakistan stand at a historic crossroad, but they can end 58 years of
hostility and war and live peacefully by allowing free movement of
people".
He said, for this, it was not enough that there was improvement in
state-to-state relation and people-to-people contact or even discuss
Kashmir. "They must put the issue of demilitarisation and reduction
of forces and work towards nuclear disarmament", he asserted.
He said India had doubled its military spending since 1998 and
Pakistan has followed the same. Today India's defence budget stands
at Rs 1 lakh crore ($ 23 billion), including establishment cost and
pensions. Pakistan's declared military budget last year was Rs 200
billion ($ 4.5 billion). In reality, it probably was $6.8 billion
and is expected to rise by 25 per cent plus. Both countries spent
more on military than on health or education. Both have their foot
pressed on a nuclear accelerator. Unless this change is brought
about there can be no durable and sustainable peace between them,"
he said.
Dr Sandeep Pandey, who is leading the padyatra, said during the
march till date, we have met scores of people and exchanged ideas of
peace and brotherhood with them in person. People of both the
countries are longing for peace. This desire of the people has to be
developed into a strong movement so as to force the governments take
further effective measures, particularly for the nuclear disarmament
of the region."
Dr L.S. Chawla, president of the Indian Doctors for Peace and
Development (IDPD), said no country could benefit from nuclear
weapons.
Other dignitaries present on the occasion included Mr Dewan Jagdish
Chander, Mr Ranjodh Singh, Dr Balbir Shah, Dr R.P.S. Aulukh, Mr
Tejinder Mohi, Dr Daler Singh, Dr Gurpreet Ratan, Mr D.P. Maur, Ms
Gurcharan Kochar, Mr Vijay Kumar, Mr Amrit Pal, Mr Sohan Singh, Mr
Kuldeep Binder, Mr Ramadhar Singh.
Earlier, in the day, the march went to Punjab Agricultural
University after passing through main bazaars of the city. A welcome
function was organised by the PAU employees union and the PAU
Students Association (PAUSA) in which over 300 persons participated.
This was addressed by Mr Praful Bidwal, Dr Sandeep Pandey, Dr L.S.
Chawla, Dr R.P.S. Aulakh, Mr D.P. Maur, Mr Sarwan Singh, president,
PAUSA Ms Gurcharan Kochar, Mr Tejinder Singh Mohi, Ms Kusum Lata, Dr
Gulzar Pandher. Large number of schoolchildren also participated in
the function.
A play on Indo-Pak relations, directed by Prof Sompal of Doraha, was
also staged
April 07, 2005
Solidarity event planned at Wagah border
INDIA PAKISTAN PEACE MARCH
Delhi to Multan, 23rd March to 11th May
c/o INSAF, A124/6 Katwaria Sarai New Delhi 110016, Tel: 55663958 Telefax: 26517814
April 7th, 2005
Dear Friends,
India Pakistan Peace March, from Delhi to Multan was flagged off in Delhi on 23rdMarch. The team of motivated Indian marchers is set out on the path of building harmonious relationship & peace between people of two countries.
The march is receiving great appreciation and support on its route. Indian citizens along the route of the march have been anxiously waiting to greet their Pakistani brothers & sisters. In spite of Pakistan PM giving promise and the Indian government giving few visas to Pakistan marchers, we could not get the clearance from Pakistan Interior Ministry. Pakistani marchers are still not allowed to cross the border on foot. Indian marchers, too, don‚t have the clearance and not sure about crossing from this side.
We will be reaching Wagha on 18th of April, the determination and euphoria of the peace marchers is giving the strength to teams of both sides, we are inviting you to express solidarity in their support at Wagha on 18th April, 10 a.m.
Contact details for the venue (after 16th April): Bhupinder Singh Sandhu, Pradhan Alami Punjabi Virasat Foundation, 23, Guru Nanak avenue, Majitha Road, Amritsar Tel.0183-2422033, 2421006, 9815394623
Looking forward to your sincere participation,
Sandeep Pandey Karamat Ali
for India Pakistan Peace March Team
Delhi to Multan, 23rd March to 11th May
c/o INSAF, A124/6 Katwaria Sarai New Delhi 110016, Tel: 55663958 Telefax: 26517814
April 7th, 2005
Dear Friends,
India Pakistan Peace March, from Delhi to Multan was flagged off in Delhi on 23rdMarch. The team of motivated Indian marchers is set out on the path of building harmonious relationship & peace between people of two countries.
The march is receiving great appreciation and support on its route. Indian citizens along the route of the march have been anxiously waiting to greet their Pakistani brothers & sisters. In spite of Pakistan PM giving promise and the Indian government giving few visas to Pakistan marchers, we could not get the clearance from Pakistan Interior Ministry. Pakistani marchers are still not allowed to cross the border on foot. Indian marchers, too, don‚t have the clearance and not sure about crossing from this side.
We will be reaching Wagha on 18th of April, the determination and euphoria of the peace marchers is giving the strength to teams of both sides, we are inviting you to express solidarity in their support at Wagha on 18th April, 10 a.m.
Contact details for the venue (after 16th April): Bhupinder Singh Sandhu, Pradhan Alami Punjabi Virasat Foundation, 23, Guru Nanak avenue, Majitha Road, Amritsar Tel.0183-2422033, 2421006, 9815394623
Looking forward to your sincere participation,
Sandeep Pandey Karamat Ali
for India Pakistan Peace March Team
March 26, 2005
Marching to Peace - New citizens' initiatives are afoot (Praful Bidwai)
[The News International, March 26, 2005]
MARCHING TO PEACE
New citizens' initiatives are afoot, which could significantly boost the India-Pakistan peace process
by Praful Bidwai
The past ten days have witnessed two events that could significantly transform the shape of the India-Pakistan peace process. The first was the inauguration in New Delhi on March 17 of an exhibition based on the Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front's leader Mohammad Yasin Malik's two years-long campaign to demand the inclusion of the Kashmiri people in the India-Pakistan dialogue.
And the second was the flagging off on Wednesday of a citizens' joint march from Delhi to Multan to highlight the case for peace and celebrate the composite culture that India and Pakistan share via the Sufi tradition. The march retraces Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia's journey circa 1257 from Delhi to Ajodhan and Multan to meet Baba Farid, the great Sufi saint-poet.
Both events have the potential to galvanise public opinion. At stake here is not just a limited concept of peace as the absence of war, but a durable peace based on a meeting of minds. The two developments must be welcomed without reservation.
Yasin Malik did something unusual, indeed unique, when he began a walking tour of major towns and some 5,000 villages in Indian Kashmir, with a one-point agenda: a signature campaign. The one-line statement demanded that "we, the Kashmiri people" must be seriously involved in the India-Pakistan dialogue, purportedly undertaken to resolve all disputes, including Kashmir.
Malik has collected some 1.5 million signatures or thumb impressions of people, with names and addresses -- something completely unprecedented in the state, which has long suffered a compression and distortion of the political process under the rule of the gun.
Malik's march, which covered all three regions of J&K, barring the districts which he wasn't allowed to visit for security-related reasons (like Uri and Poonch), succeeded in putting a positive agenda before the people, one that counters the negation-driven slogans that have dominated the Kashmir Valley for 15 years amidst violence both of the state and separatist jehadi militants once supported by Pakistan.
The affirmation of a Kashmiri identity cutting across religious, regional and ethnic divides is itself welcome. Even more welcome is the language of peace and the Gandhian mould of activism in which the march is embedded. However, two things impart Yasin Malik's initiative a very special significance. It comes just when India and Pakistan have for the first time ever seriously pledged themselves to discussing the Kashmir issue.
There is a sweet irony about the nature of this bilateral dialogue. The more progress India and Pakistan make in the dialogue, the weightier will the case become for taking the process beyond the bilateral framework! The absurdity of resolving the Kashmir issue without consultation with and participation of the Kashmiri people will become increasingly evident.
Democratic principle, as well as elementary requirements of fairness and justice --namely, voice and representation -- dictate that the Kashmiri people must be involved at some point of time in a discussion of their fate.
Yasin Malik, a former militant who announced a unilateral ceasefire a decade ago when the JKLF was being targeted by all other armed groups and state agencies, has had the foresight to see that the ground for the Kashmiri people's involvement must be prepared right now. The Kashmiris must assert themselves and start thinking creatively about a just and peaceful solution to the issue over which two and a half wars have been fought -- in their name. Only then will some imaginative solutions emerge, as well as rudimentary structures and forms of association, through which their involvement could be brought about.
The second worthy aspect of Malik's overall initiative is that it's not confined to Kashmir, although the march itself was. Rather, he wants to take the Kashmiri people's message to the Indian and Pakistani publics and policy-makers.
The two-day exhibition in Delhi was only the first step in the larger process. It was nevertheless important. Malik's audience included Pakistan's High Commissioner and his deputy, as well as a former Indian foreign secretary, numerous political leaders, civil society activists and intellectuals. The gathering also included P.N. Dhar, former top-ranking civil servant and Indira Gandhi's aide during the Shimla conference of 1972.
Malik's exhibition, and the activities organised around it, mark a major step forward in the growing, empathetic, interaction between Kashmiri civil society and political groups, and their counterparts in the rest of India.
This conversation is relatively recent. But its importance cannot be overemphasised. Nothing like it existed during the worst phase of violence in Kashmir, or even until a couple of years ago, when the first signs of a thaw appeared. Rather, mutual apathy, and even suspicion, dominated such limited civil society interaction as existed. The process must be extended to the rest of India and to Pakistan as well.
The effects of this new interaction are already becoming evident at the political level, with their focus on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus. While conservatives within the National Conference, led by Farooq Abdullah, have joined hands with the BJP in voicing reservations over the bus, the majority strongly roots for it.
Omar Abdullah, refuting his father, demands that India and Pakistan "should do a lot more to sustain the goodwill and the 'feel-good' atmosphere" the trans-LoC bus has generated: "It needs to be a big bus and a daily service. Travellers should not switch the buses and cross the LoC on foot. A big concrete bridge should be constructed ...let them ply a fortnightly service for six months but for God's sake, let them make a commitment of making it a daily-service, or otherwise it will boomerang."
The Delhi-Multan peace march is an excellent idea. But its success will depend on whether the two governments cooperate by granting visas to the marchers. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz recently received a delegation of them and offered to be generous in granting visas to the Indian contingent.
At the time of writing, New Delhi had still not acted on its promise to give visas to the proposed 40-strong Pakistani contingent. (Three of them are in Delhi: A.H. Nayyar, physicist, peace activist and able dissector of prejudice in Pakistani school textbooks, Irfan Mufti, and Muqtida Ali Khan.)
The Indian side is led by Sandeep Pandey, a Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace activist, who was awarded the Magsaysay prize (which he returned). In 1999, Pandey led a peace march from Pokharan to Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh, where the Buddha delivered his first peace sermon.
The Delhi-Multan marchers are inspired by the Sufi tradition stretching from Bulley Shah, through Amir Khusro, to Kabir and Guru Nanak, as well as more contemporary figures in Hindustani/Urdu literature like Ghalib, Faiz, Krishan Chander, Manto, Rajinder Singh Bedi, and Ahmad Faraz. The emphasis in the marchers' message is not just on ridding the subcontinent of nuclear weapons and militarism, but on a meeting of minds through a celebration of our common culture and heritage.
It is no coincidence that the march began on Pakistan Day (also Bhagat Singh's death anniversary) and ends on the anniversary of the first Pokharan tests seven years ago. The Indian government must not drag its feet on visas. It will earn goodwill by showing exemplary broad-mindedness and generosity.
MARCHING TO PEACE
New citizens' initiatives are afoot, which could significantly boost the India-Pakistan peace process
by Praful Bidwai
The past ten days have witnessed two events that could significantly transform the shape of the India-Pakistan peace process. The first was the inauguration in New Delhi on March 17 of an exhibition based on the Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front's leader Mohammad Yasin Malik's two years-long campaign to demand the inclusion of the Kashmiri people in the India-Pakistan dialogue.
And the second was the flagging off on Wednesday of a citizens' joint march from Delhi to Multan to highlight the case for peace and celebrate the composite culture that India and Pakistan share via the Sufi tradition. The march retraces Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia's journey circa 1257 from Delhi to Ajodhan and Multan to meet Baba Farid, the great Sufi saint-poet.
Both events have the potential to galvanise public opinion. At stake here is not just a limited concept of peace as the absence of war, but a durable peace based on a meeting of minds. The two developments must be welcomed without reservation.
Yasin Malik did something unusual, indeed unique, when he began a walking tour of major towns and some 5,000 villages in Indian Kashmir, with a one-point agenda: a signature campaign. The one-line statement demanded that "we, the Kashmiri people" must be seriously involved in the India-Pakistan dialogue, purportedly undertaken to resolve all disputes, including Kashmir.
Malik has collected some 1.5 million signatures or thumb impressions of people, with names and addresses -- something completely unprecedented in the state, which has long suffered a compression and distortion of the political process under the rule of the gun.
Malik's march, which covered all three regions of J&K, barring the districts which he wasn't allowed to visit for security-related reasons (like Uri and Poonch), succeeded in putting a positive agenda before the people, one that counters the negation-driven slogans that have dominated the Kashmir Valley for 15 years amidst violence both of the state and separatist jehadi militants once supported by Pakistan.
The affirmation of a Kashmiri identity cutting across religious, regional and ethnic divides is itself welcome. Even more welcome is the language of peace and the Gandhian mould of activism in which the march is embedded. However, two things impart Yasin Malik's initiative a very special significance. It comes just when India and Pakistan have for the first time ever seriously pledged themselves to discussing the Kashmir issue.
There is a sweet irony about the nature of this bilateral dialogue. The more progress India and Pakistan make in the dialogue, the weightier will the case become for taking the process beyond the bilateral framework! The absurdity of resolving the Kashmir issue without consultation with and participation of the Kashmiri people will become increasingly evident.
Democratic principle, as well as elementary requirements of fairness and justice --namely, voice and representation -- dictate that the Kashmiri people must be involved at some point of time in a discussion of their fate.
Yasin Malik, a former militant who announced a unilateral ceasefire a decade ago when the JKLF was being targeted by all other armed groups and state agencies, has had the foresight to see that the ground for the Kashmiri people's involvement must be prepared right now. The Kashmiris must assert themselves and start thinking creatively about a just and peaceful solution to the issue over which two and a half wars have been fought -- in their name. Only then will some imaginative solutions emerge, as well as rudimentary structures and forms of association, through which their involvement could be brought about.
The second worthy aspect of Malik's overall initiative is that it's not confined to Kashmir, although the march itself was. Rather, he wants to take the Kashmiri people's message to the Indian and Pakistani publics and policy-makers.
The two-day exhibition in Delhi was only the first step in the larger process. It was nevertheless important. Malik's audience included Pakistan's High Commissioner and his deputy, as well as a former Indian foreign secretary, numerous political leaders, civil society activists and intellectuals. The gathering also included P.N. Dhar, former top-ranking civil servant and Indira Gandhi's aide during the Shimla conference of 1972.
Malik's exhibition, and the activities organised around it, mark a major step forward in the growing, empathetic, interaction between Kashmiri civil society and political groups, and their counterparts in the rest of India.
This conversation is relatively recent. But its importance cannot be overemphasised. Nothing like it existed during the worst phase of violence in Kashmir, or even until a couple of years ago, when the first signs of a thaw appeared. Rather, mutual apathy, and even suspicion, dominated such limited civil society interaction as existed. The process must be extended to the rest of India and to Pakistan as well.
The effects of this new interaction are already becoming evident at the political level, with their focus on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus. While conservatives within the National Conference, led by Farooq Abdullah, have joined hands with the BJP in voicing reservations over the bus, the majority strongly roots for it.
Omar Abdullah, refuting his father, demands that India and Pakistan "should do a lot more to sustain the goodwill and the 'feel-good' atmosphere" the trans-LoC bus has generated: "It needs to be a big bus and a daily service. Travellers should not switch the buses and cross the LoC on foot. A big concrete bridge should be constructed ...let them ply a fortnightly service for six months but for God's sake, let them make a commitment of making it a daily-service, or otherwise it will boomerang."
The Delhi-Multan peace march is an excellent idea. But its success will depend on whether the two governments cooperate by granting visas to the marchers. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz recently received a delegation of them and offered to be generous in granting visas to the Indian contingent.
At the time of writing, New Delhi had still not acted on its promise to give visas to the proposed 40-strong Pakistani contingent. (Three of them are in Delhi: A.H. Nayyar, physicist, peace activist and able dissector of prejudice in Pakistani school textbooks, Irfan Mufti, and Muqtida Ali Khan.)
The Indian side is led by Sandeep Pandey, a Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace activist, who was awarded the Magsaysay prize (which he returned). In 1999, Pandey led a peace march from Pokharan to Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh, where the Buddha delivered his first peace sermon.
The Delhi-Multan marchers are inspired by the Sufi tradition stretching from Bulley Shah, through Amir Khusro, to Kabir and Guru Nanak, as well as more contemporary figures in Hindustani/Urdu literature like Ghalib, Faiz, Krishan Chander, Manto, Rajinder Singh Bedi, and Ahmad Faraz. The emphasis in the marchers' message is not just on ridding the subcontinent of nuclear weapons and militarism, but on a meeting of minds through a celebration of our common culture and heritage.
It is no coincidence that the march began on Pakistan Day (also Bhagat Singh's death anniversary) and ends on the anniversary of the first Pokharan tests seven years ago. The Indian government must not drag its feet on visas. It will earn goodwill by showing exemplary broad-mindedness and generosity.
March 24, 2005
Indo-Pak march starts from Nizamuddin in New Delhi
(Times of India, March 24, 2005)
Indo-Pak march starts from Nizamuddin
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2005 11:53:39 PM ]
NEW DELHI: A walk into the hearts of people. That’s the aim of the Indo-Pak Peace March which kicked off on Wednesday.
The walk which started after an offering at the Nizamuddin Dargah in Delhi, aims to touch Multan in Pakistan by May 11.
The walk, which has been organised by citizen groups of India and Pakistan saw tremendous support from both sides of the border.
Various prominent personalities like Mahesh Bhatt, Nafisa Ali, SAR Geelani could be seen expressing their solidarity.
"Each drop is important for the ocean to be full. It is an attempt to reach the masses," said actor Nandita Das.
"The governments of Pakistan and India have not been very supportive of the attempt. 43 citizens from Pakistan have not been granted visas to come to India. A list of 114 Indians is also awaiting the approval of the Indian government. But we still hope for the success of this walk," said Dr Sandeep Pandey, the coordinator from India.
"The basic aim is to dispel the notion of animosity created by politicians to serve their interests. It is an attempt to bring people together at the grassroots level and make them realise how similar we are," said Dr A H Nayyar from Pakistan.
Other marchers from Pakistan who were participating in the walk were Irfan Mufti and Muqtida A K Masoor.
Indo-Pak march starts from Nizamuddin
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2005 11:53:39 PM ]
NEW DELHI: A walk into the hearts of people. That’s the aim of the Indo-Pak Peace March which kicked off on Wednesday.
The walk which started after an offering at the Nizamuddin Dargah in Delhi, aims to touch Multan in Pakistan by May 11.
The walk, which has been organised by citizen groups of India and Pakistan saw tremendous support from both sides of the border.
Various prominent personalities like Mahesh Bhatt, Nafisa Ali, SAR Geelani could be seen expressing their solidarity.
"Each drop is important for the ocean to be full. It is an attempt to reach the masses," said actor Nandita Das.
"The governments of Pakistan and India have not been very supportive of the attempt. 43 citizens from Pakistan have not been granted visas to come to India. A list of 114 Indians is also awaiting the approval of the Indian government. But we still hope for the success of this walk," said Dr Sandeep Pandey, the coordinator from India.
"The basic aim is to dispel the notion of animosity created by politicians to serve their interests. It is an attempt to bring people together at the grassroots level and make them realise how similar we are," said Dr A H Nayyar from Pakistan.
Other marchers from Pakistan who were participating in the walk were Irfan Mufti and Muqtida A K Masoor.
March 21, 2005
Moving towards a durable peace
[The News International
March 21, 2005 ]
Moving towards a durable peace
by Sandeep Pandey
Why should the Prime Minister of Pakistan be interested in talking to an Indian activist about a proposed peace march?
My friend Karamat Ali, a peace activist and co-organizer from Pakistan of the proposed Delhi to Multan India-Pakistan Peace March (March 23 to May 11, 2005), was trying to include me in a delegation of Pakistan Peace Coalition, which had got an appointment to meet Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on March 12, to discuss the organization of the march and specifically request visas for the marchers from India, who would cross over into Pakistan at Wagah on April 18. I was amazed when got the invitation, just 48 hours before the appointment. I had to literally rush to Islamabad after getting my visa and ticket.
That the office of Prime Minister decided to invite me to discuss the peace march along with Pakistani activists clearly indicated that the Government of Pakistan was viewing this march positively. The peace activists of India and Pakistan, independently and jointly, have been opposing the nuclearisation of the sub-continent and advocating for peace even when the relationship between the two countries was very hostile.
Peaceniks on both sides of the border are often dismissed as a bunch of idealists and accused of playing into the hands of elements working against the interests of our respective countries, and sometimes directly accused of being anti-national. The governments aren't very supportive either. Hence it was a welcome surprise that the Pakistani Prime Minister was full of praise for initiatives taken by peace activists and hoped that more such initiatives would bring about a lasting change in the situation in South Asia. He acknowledged the role of peace movements in having a decisive influence over the two governments.
Shaukat Aziz expressed the commitment of the Government of Pakistan towards building an atmosphere of peace in the sub-continent and the willingness to do whatever was necessary to achieve this objective. He said that President Musharraf shared this vision. He was quite candid about the contentious issues and hoped that through dialogue they would be resolved. He claimed that no past Government of Pakistan had been so open about this objective and for the first time there was no fear about discussing the issues.
He was happy with the way the peace process was moving forward but disappointed over the lack of progress on resolving the Kashmir dispute, resolving which in his view is key to establishing permanent peace between India and Pakistan. He was also disappointed at the postponement of the SAARC meeting and said that Pakistan was 'hurt' on the Baglihar Dam issue; water is emerging as a contentious issue between the two countries.
I was impressed by Shaukat Aziz's forthrightness. He said that unlike the past this government is not interested in merely containing problems, but is actually committed to resolving the outstanding issues. And this is obvious in his approach when addressing some of them. He spelt out the position of the Government of Pakistan on each issue and hoped that on bilateral matters India would respond positively. He was full of praise for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his positive attitude towards settling differences.
Security, however, is one issue that makes the leadership of the two countries nervous. During the exchange Shaukat Aziz pointed out the necessity for Pakistan to keep arms for its security, and admitted the compulsion of Pakistan to match India's capability whenever it decides to procure any new category of arms, leading to an arms race. There exists tremendous confusion regarding more dangerous arms giving a sense of security.
If you think about the issue with a cool head, you realise the relationship between security and more dangerous arms is inverse. We become more insecure as we possess more dangerous arms.
Peace activists from Pakistan and India have been advocating the unilateral, or with bilateral agreement, renunciation of nuclear weapons and downgrading armed forces at the border. Only a border free of army and arms can provide us with a sense of true security on both sides. I hope our heads of State will eventually understand this clear logic and move towards getting rid of weapons.
That is when the common people on both sides will be the winners, as resources being diverted in the name of security today, will be freed up for real development. In times of globalisation as economic progress becomes more important than military security, the leaders of the two countries appear to have realized the futility of the arms race and pursue the road to peace. Times are changing. The concept of jingoistic nationalism is going out of date and this is a welcome development. The economic development of the people who comprise a nation is becoming centre-stage on the political agenda, as it should be.
I still find it difficult to believe that I was allowed into the office of the Prime Minister of a country that until not long ago was considered an enemy country, and got to listen to his frank opinion on pressing issues. His approach clearly reflects the commitment of the Government of Pakistan to bring about peace and normalcy in the region.
Thank you, Mr. Shaukat Aziz, for making it possible for me to meet you. If your government allows the India-Pakistan Peace March to take place, your initiative will go a long way towards opening the doors for normalising the relationship between citizens of the two countries. This will help establish a durable peace, something that appears elusive but which the people most definitely desire on both sides of the border.
March 21, 2005 ]
Moving towards a durable peace
by Sandeep Pandey
Why should the Prime Minister of Pakistan be interested in talking to an Indian activist about a proposed peace march?
My friend Karamat Ali, a peace activist and co-organizer from Pakistan of the proposed Delhi to Multan India-Pakistan Peace March (March 23 to May 11, 2005), was trying to include me in a delegation of Pakistan Peace Coalition, which had got an appointment to meet Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on March 12, to discuss the organization of the march and specifically request visas for the marchers from India, who would cross over into Pakistan at Wagah on April 18. I was amazed when got the invitation, just 48 hours before the appointment. I had to literally rush to Islamabad after getting my visa and ticket.
That the office of Prime Minister decided to invite me to discuss the peace march along with Pakistani activists clearly indicated that the Government of Pakistan was viewing this march positively. The peace activists of India and Pakistan, independently and jointly, have been opposing the nuclearisation of the sub-continent and advocating for peace even when the relationship between the two countries was very hostile.
Peaceniks on both sides of the border are often dismissed as a bunch of idealists and accused of playing into the hands of elements working against the interests of our respective countries, and sometimes directly accused of being anti-national. The governments aren't very supportive either. Hence it was a welcome surprise that the Pakistani Prime Minister was full of praise for initiatives taken by peace activists and hoped that more such initiatives would bring about a lasting change in the situation in South Asia. He acknowledged the role of peace movements in having a decisive influence over the two governments.
Shaukat Aziz expressed the commitment of the Government of Pakistan towards building an atmosphere of peace in the sub-continent and the willingness to do whatever was necessary to achieve this objective. He said that President Musharraf shared this vision. He was quite candid about the contentious issues and hoped that through dialogue they would be resolved. He claimed that no past Government of Pakistan had been so open about this objective and for the first time there was no fear about discussing the issues.
He was happy with the way the peace process was moving forward but disappointed over the lack of progress on resolving the Kashmir dispute, resolving which in his view is key to establishing permanent peace between India and Pakistan. He was also disappointed at the postponement of the SAARC meeting and said that Pakistan was 'hurt' on the Baglihar Dam issue; water is emerging as a contentious issue between the two countries.
I was impressed by Shaukat Aziz's forthrightness. He said that unlike the past this government is not interested in merely containing problems, but is actually committed to resolving the outstanding issues. And this is obvious in his approach when addressing some of them. He spelt out the position of the Government of Pakistan on each issue and hoped that on bilateral matters India would respond positively. He was full of praise for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his positive attitude towards settling differences.
Security, however, is one issue that makes the leadership of the two countries nervous. During the exchange Shaukat Aziz pointed out the necessity for Pakistan to keep arms for its security, and admitted the compulsion of Pakistan to match India's capability whenever it decides to procure any new category of arms, leading to an arms race. There exists tremendous confusion regarding more dangerous arms giving a sense of security.
If you think about the issue with a cool head, you realise the relationship between security and more dangerous arms is inverse. We become more insecure as we possess more dangerous arms.
Peace activists from Pakistan and India have been advocating the unilateral, or with bilateral agreement, renunciation of nuclear weapons and downgrading armed forces at the border. Only a border free of army and arms can provide us with a sense of true security on both sides. I hope our heads of State will eventually understand this clear logic and move towards getting rid of weapons.
That is when the common people on both sides will be the winners, as resources being diverted in the name of security today, will be freed up for real development. In times of globalisation as economic progress becomes more important than military security, the leaders of the two countries appear to have realized the futility of the arms race and pursue the road to peace. Times are changing. The concept of jingoistic nationalism is going out of date and this is a welcome development. The economic development of the people who comprise a nation is becoming centre-stage on the political agenda, as it should be.
I still find it difficult to believe that I was allowed into the office of the Prime Minister of a country that until not long ago was considered an enemy country, and got to listen to his frank opinion on pressing issues. His approach clearly reflects the commitment of the Government of Pakistan to bring about peace and normalcy in the region.
Thank you, Mr. Shaukat Aziz, for making it possible for me to meet you. If your government allows the India-Pakistan Peace March to take place, your initiative will go a long way towards opening the doors for normalising the relationship between citizens of the two countries. This will help establish a durable peace, something that appears elusive but which the people most definitely desire on both sides of the border.
Annoncement re inauguration of Indo-Pak Peace March
Indo-Pak Peace March
Delhi to Multan, March 23 - May 11, 2005
We, Citizen Groups of India and Pakistan, are jointly taking out India-Pakistan Peace March from Delhi to Multan from 23rd March to 11th May 2005.
The March will be inaugurated in a ceremony attended by the marchers and prominent personalities from different walks of life, who will express their solidarity. Cultural Programs will also be organised to mark the occasion. We request you to grace the occasion by your valuable presence.
Date: 23rd March 2005
VENUE:
"Bharatiyam"
Bharat Scouts and Guides Camp
(Opp. Humayun Tomb),
Nizamuddin, New Delhi-110014
Time: 2.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m.
PROGRAM:
1. Inauguration
2. Opening remarks by organizers
3. Introduction & welcome to Marchers
4. Cultural Programs
5. Solidarity Expressions
6. Offering at Dargah
7. Flag off the march
Looking forward to your participation in Indo-Pak peace process.
Sincerely
Sandeep Pandey Anil Chaudhary Karamat Ali
Delhi to Multan, March 23 - May 11, 2005
We, Citizen Groups of India and Pakistan, are jointly taking out India-Pakistan Peace March from Delhi to Multan from 23rd March to 11th May 2005.
The March will be inaugurated in a ceremony attended by the marchers and prominent personalities from different walks of life, who will express their solidarity. Cultural Programs will also be organised to mark the occasion. We request you to grace the occasion by your valuable presence.
Date: 23rd March 2005
VENUE:
"Bharatiyam"
Bharat Scouts and Guides Camp
(Opp. Humayun Tomb),
Nizamuddin, New Delhi-110014
Time: 2.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m.
PROGRAM:
1. Inauguration
2. Opening remarks by organizers
3. Introduction & welcome to Marchers
4. Cultural Programs
5. Solidarity Expressions
6. Offering at Dargah
7. Flag off the march
Looking forward to your participation in Indo-Pak peace process.
Sincerely
Sandeep Pandey Anil Chaudhary Karamat Ali
March 20, 2005
India Pakistan Rediscovering Each Other (Sandeep Pandey)
[sacw.net | March 20, 2005
URL:
www.sacw.net/peace/Sandeep_Pandey19032005.html ]
[INDIA - PAKISTAN] REDISCOVERING EACH OTHER
by Sandeep Pandey
[Published earlier in Hindustan Times, 19 March 2005]
I am hearing stories from people returning from India who went there to see the cricket game in Chandigarh of the tremendous response they got from Indians. They did not have to pay for their stay or food. Indian families were competing with each other in inviting Pakistanis over to their place for dinner. The Pakistanis were having difficulty in deciding which invitation to accept and which to leave. Indians were welcoming Pakistanis with warmth as they probably do not welcome their own fellow citizens from other parts of India. Similarly when weíre in Pakistan we get a response so overwhelming which probably the Pakistanis would not offer to their own fellow citizens. How strange this is? First we hated each other for over 50 years and then all floodgates of emotions open. Which of the two feelings is real?
At least we have advanced from putting our youth in battle fields against each other to putting them in cricket fields. Cricket fields also used to be like battle fields once. Now we have improved. There is bonhomie which has replaced the feeling of revenge. Victory and loss are no longer a matter of prestige. Our politicians are telling our cricketers to play for diplomacy. Cricket has moved from second last page of newspapers when we were children to the front pages now. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also highlighted the role of cricket and bollywood in improving India-Pakistan relations. It is unfortunate that because of failure of resolution of issues politically we have to resort to a detour using cricket. However, that weíre moving towards the right goal is important.
There are contentious issues between India and Pakistan which need resolution. Prime Minister Saukat Aziz rightly pointed out in a discussion, when I went to see him in Islamabad in connection with our proposed Delhi to Multan Indian Pakistan Peace March scheduled to begin on 23rd March, 2005 from the dargah of Nizamuddin Auliya, unless the issue of Kashmir is resolved we cannot hope to have a durable peace between India and Pakistan. He expressed his unhappiness over the way things have unfolded in Baglihar dam talks and admitted that Pakistan was ëhurtí. These and a number of contentious issues will keep propping up whenever things would start to look bright. However, we have to decide whether weíll choose to co-exist living with these issues or will perish together bombing each other with state of the art weaponry.
After all, in India we have water disputes between the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over Cauvery river. The emotions between the people of two states run as high as between Indian and Pakistanis whenever a contentious issue is discussed. The problem has existed since independence and will probably remain unresolved for a long time to come. But that doesnít take Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to the brink of bombing each other with nuclear weapons. So, why cannot India and Pakistan peacefully co-exist even if the problems remain unresolved for some time to come?
It is heartening to hear Shaukat Aziz that his Government is interested in resolving the disputes rather than just containing them. His governmentís commitment to peace and harmony was amply clear from his confident attitude when he was discussing various contentious issues in a forthright manner. He demonstrated an openness which has not been the hallmark of India Pakistan relations over our independent history.
The decision by governments of India and Pakistan to allow a bus service between Muzaffarabad and Srinagar without the requirement of passports is a truly commendable one. Frankly, we had not expected that governments would take such a bold move so soon. If they continue on this path and free Kashmir from the grip of tension and violence by withdrawing their armed forces and helping life return to normalcy, they will do a great service to the people of Kashmir. India and Pakistan can jointly ensure the normalization process in Kashmir. How does lack of resolution of the Kashmir dispute come in the way of ensuring peace in Kashmir? For the people of Kashmir restoration of peace is the most important priority.
Infact, the arms race between India and Pakistan which is often linked to the Kashmir dispute is an independent phenomenon which is based on threat perception of each other. If we can have a relationship based on trust there will be no need for keeping any arms. And in due course of time the outstanding contentious issues will be resolved through the process of dialogue. If making of nuclear weapons has done any good it is that it has made us realize that there can be no military solution to the problem of Kashmir. The Kashmir issue will have to be resolved through a dialogue and that too involving the people of Kashmir, according to their aspirations. This may take some time. The common people of India and Pakistan cannot wait until then. They want the normalization process to continue. When the people donít feel threatened by each other, as is amply clear by the warmth and bonhomie generated during all exchange visits between citizens of two countries without exception, why should the governments live in suspicion of each other? Is it not the people that comprise any nation? Of course, there are the fundamentalists on both sides. But do they represent the feelings of common people?
Let us not force our youth to put on uniforms and make them face each other with guns in their hands at the border. After all, it is only a difference of few kilometers which determines which side theyíll fight for. It is only a matter of few kilometers which determines whether theyíll be indoctrinated in Indian nationalism or Pakistani nationalism. The outer coat of ideology in the name of nation or religion is what we received only after we were born. The nature did not ordain us to fight. We have more in common than we have differences. The cultural and emotional and more importantly human bondings are much deeper. Let us respect them, rediscover ourselves as peace loving people and learn to live peacefully with our differences.
URL:
www.sacw.net/peace/Sandeep_Pandey19032005.html ]
[INDIA - PAKISTAN] REDISCOVERING EACH OTHER
by Sandeep Pandey
[Published earlier in Hindustan Times, 19 March 2005]
I am hearing stories from people returning from India who went there to see the cricket game in Chandigarh of the tremendous response they got from Indians. They did not have to pay for their stay or food. Indian families were competing with each other in inviting Pakistanis over to their place for dinner. The Pakistanis were having difficulty in deciding which invitation to accept and which to leave. Indians were welcoming Pakistanis with warmth as they probably do not welcome their own fellow citizens from other parts of India. Similarly when weíre in Pakistan we get a response so overwhelming which probably the Pakistanis would not offer to their own fellow citizens. How strange this is? First we hated each other for over 50 years and then all floodgates of emotions open. Which of the two feelings is real?
At least we have advanced from putting our youth in battle fields against each other to putting them in cricket fields. Cricket fields also used to be like battle fields once. Now we have improved. There is bonhomie which has replaced the feeling of revenge. Victory and loss are no longer a matter of prestige. Our politicians are telling our cricketers to play for diplomacy. Cricket has moved from second last page of newspapers when we were children to the front pages now. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also highlighted the role of cricket and bollywood in improving India-Pakistan relations. It is unfortunate that because of failure of resolution of issues politically we have to resort to a detour using cricket. However, that weíre moving towards the right goal is important.
There are contentious issues between India and Pakistan which need resolution. Prime Minister Saukat Aziz rightly pointed out in a discussion, when I went to see him in Islamabad in connection with our proposed Delhi to Multan Indian Pakistan Peace March scheduled to begin on 23rd March, 2005 from the dargah of Nizamuddin Auliya, unless the issue of Kashmir is resolved we cannot hope to have a durable peace between India and Pakistan. He expressed his unhappiness over the way things have unfolded in Baglihar dam talks and admitted that Pakistan was ëhurtí. These and a number of contentious issues will keep propping up whenever things would start to look bright. However, we have to decide whether weíll choose to co-exist living with these issues or will perish together bombing each other with state of the art weaponry.
After all, in India we have water disputes between the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over Cauvery river. The emotions between the people of two states run as high as between Indian and Pakistanis whenever a contentious issue is discussed. The problem has existed since independence and will probably remain unresolved for a long time to come. But that doesnít take Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to the brink of bombing each other with nuclear weapons. So, why cannot India and Pakistan peacefully co-exist even if the problems remain unresolved for some time to come?
It is heartening to hear Shaukat Aziz that his Government is interested in resolving the disputes rather than just containing them. His governmentís commitment to peace and harmony was amply clear from his confident attitude when he was discussing various contentious issues in a forthright manner. He demonstrated an openness which has not been the hallmark of India Pakistan relations over our independent history.
The decision by governments of India and Pakistan to allow a bus service between Muzaffarabad and Srinagar without the requirement of passports is a truly commendable one. Frankly, we had not expected that governments would take such a bold move so soon. If they continue on this path and free Kashmir from the grip of tension and violence by withdrawing their armed forces and helping life return to normalcy, they will do a great service to the people of Kashmir. India and Pakistan can jointly ensure the normalization process in Kashmir. How does lack of resolution of the Kashmir dispute come in the way of ensuring peace in Kashmir? For the people of Kashmir restoration of peace is the most important priority.
Infact, the arms race between India and Pakistan which is often linked to the Kashmir dispute is an independent phenomenon which is based on threat perception of each other. If we can have a relationship based on trust there will be no need for keeping any arms. And in due course of time the outstanding contentious issues will be resolved through the process of dialogue. If making of nuclear weapons has done any good it is that it has made us realize that there can be no military solution to the problem of Kashmir. The Kashmir issue will have to be resolved through a dialogue and that too involving the people of Kashmir, according to their aspirations. This may take some time. The common people of India and Pakistan cannot wait until then. They want the normalization process to continue. When the people donít feel threatened by each other, as is amply clear by the warmth and bonhomie generated during all exchange visits between citizens of two countries without exception, why should the governments live in suspicion of each other? Is it not the people that comprise any nation? Of course, there are the fundamentalists on both sides. But do they represent the feelings of common people?
Let us not force our youth to put on uniforms and make them face each other with guns in their hands at the border. After all, it is only a difference of few kilometers which determines which side theyíll fight for. It is only a matter of few kilometers which determines whether theyíll be indoctrinated in Indian nationalism or Pakistani nationalism. The outer coat of ideology in the name of nation or religion is what we received only after we were born. The nature did not ordain us to fight. We have more in common than we have differences. The cultural and emotional and more importantly human bondings are much deeper. Let us respect them, rediscover ourselves as peace loving people and learn to live peacefully with our differences.
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