NEW DELHI: Over 200 concerned citizens of Indian and Pakistani have called for peace, insisting on the need for a ‘un-interrupted and un-interruptible’ dialogue to resolve all issues while maintaining peace and civilised bilateral relations.
The list includes academics, physicists, journalists, writers, artists, musicians, activists and others from both countries.
The statement reads:
“In the 70 years since Independence and partition, the people of India and Pakistan have seen too many conflicts and the loss of many valuable lives. Enough of the distrust and tensions. Those who suffer particularly are ordinary people denied visas and those in the conflict zones, especially women and children as well as fishermen who get routinely rounded up and arrested for violating the maritime boundary.
We condemn all forms of violence regardless of its objectives.
Deeply concerned at the current rise in animosity and antagonism between India and Pakistan, we urge both governments and their security establishments to take all steps possible towards improving relations.
We note that whenever it seems that relations might improve, some form of disruption takes place ranging from jingoistic statements to militant attacks. The traditional response to such disruptions only strengthens those who want continued tensions between our two countries.
We move this Resolution towards a peaceful subcontinent and make the following demands to the governments of India and Pakistan, urging them to:
1. Develop an institutionalised framework to ensure that continuous and uninterrupted talks between India and Pakistan take place regularly no matter what. Make dialogue un-interrupted and un-interruptible.
2. Ensure that political leaders, diplomats and civil servants from both countries conduct talks on the side-lines of all international and multilateral forums.
3. Recognise that the Kashmir dispute above all concerns the lives and aspirations of the Kashmiri people, and work to resolve it through uninterrupted dialogue between all concerned parties.
4. Implement the 2003 ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan.
5. Renounce all forms of proxy wars, state-sponsored terrorism, human rights violations, cross-border terrorism, and subversive activities against each other including through non-state actors or support of separatist movements in each other’s state.
6. Support and encourage all forms of people to people contact, and remove visa restrictions and discrimination faced by citizens of both countries. This must be further taken forward to allow visa-free travel between India and Pakistan.
7. Increase trade and economic linkages and cultural exchanges between India and Pakistan.
Further, we pledge to uphold the principles of impartial reporting and urge media houses on either side to prevent the growing militarisation of debate. We must act responsibly and stop broadcasting hate speech and creating public hysteria aimed at the other country and/or vulnerable communities.
1. Dr. A. H. Nayyar, physicist, educationist, Lahore
2. Aakash Chandran, Assistant Editor, Lighthouse Project
3. Aastha Dua, lawyer, New Delhi
4. Abha Bhaiya, feminist activist, Himachal Pradesh
5. Abhishek Thakore, Co-Founder, The Blue Ribbon Movement, Mumbai, and South Asian Youth Conference Series
6. Achal Arora, insurance professional, Meerut
7. Adil Najam, Dean, Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University
8. Admiral L. Ramdas, former Chief of Naval Staff and Magsaysay Awardee for Peace, India
9. Afia Salam, freelance journalist, Karachi
10. Afrasiab Khattak, ex-Senator, Islamabad
11. Akshat Singhal, co-founder, The Blue Ribbon Movement, Mumbai
12. Alefia T. Hussain, journalist, The News on Sunday, Lahore
13. Aliya Harir, student at National Defence University, Islamabad
14. Aman Alam, software engineer, Bangalore
15. Amardeep Singh, author, Singapore
16. Amarpali Singh, poet, Chandigarh
17. Ameya Kilara, Leadership Fellow, Center for Public Leadership, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
18. Ammu Joseph, independent journalist and author, Bangalore, India
19. Anand Chakravarti, Academician, Delhi
20. Anam Zakaria, author, development professional and educationist
21. Anis Haroon, activist
22. Anish Mishra, independent analyst and researcher on South Asia, Singapore
23. Anita Dixit, Social Researcher, Kolkata, India
24. Anita Katyal, journalist
25. Anton Babu, entrepreneur, Trivandrum
26. Anuradha Bhasin, Co-chair, Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy
27. Arundhati Dhuru, social activist, National Alliance of People's Movements, India
28. Dr. Asad Sayeed, economist, Karachi
29. Asma Jahangir, Chairperson Emeritus, HRCP, advocate Supreme Court of Pakistan
30. Ashok Chowdhury, All-India Union of Forest Working People, Delhi
31. Atia Anwar Zoon, Assistant Professor, Federal Urdu University, Islamabad
32. Dr. Ayesha Jalal, Mary Richardson Professor of History/Director, Center for South Asian and Indian Ocean Studies, Tufts University
33. Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa, research associate SOAS, University of London
34. Beena Sarwar, journalist, teacher, editor Aman ki Asha
35. Bina Sarkar Ellias, poet, editor and publisher, International Gallerie, Mumbai
36. Chaudhary Latif Akbar, President Peoples Party, Azad Jammu and Kashmir
37. Chintan Girish Modi, Peace Educator, India
38. Deepak Kathuria, Association of Peoples of Asia
39. Deepesh C, Assistant Professor, Chennai
40. Devang Shah, International Law and Diplomacy student
41. Devika Mittal, research student and convener (India) - Aaghaz-e-Dosti
42. Diep Saeeda, Peace Activist, Lahore
43. Dilrukshi Handunnetti, journalist and lawyer, Sri Lanka
44. Dunu Roy , Senior Fellow at the Centre for Public Affairs and Critical Theory, Shiv Nadar University
45. Ellia Khan, Officiating Director, PeaceNiche | T2F, Karachi
46. Elsa D’silva, Founder and CEO, Red Dot Foundation, Mumbai
47. Ershad Mahmud, Executive Director, Center for Peace, Development and Reforms, Rawalakot
48. Ezabir Ali, women’s rights activist, Srinagar
49. Farooq Shah, Managing Editor Kashmir Observer
50. Dr. Farida Batool, Head of Visual Arts National College of Arts (NCA), Lahore
51. Fauzia Shahid, content editor PTV, Islamabad
52. Farida Nekzad, journalist, Kabul Afghanistan, South Asian Women in Media (SAWM) president
53. Furhan Hussain, Researcher and Trainer, Islamabad
54. Gauhar Raza, poet, filmmaker, Delhi
55. Gen. Tej Kaul, Executive President of India Pakistan Soldiers Initiative for Peace (IPSI)
56. Hameed ul Mehdi, Team Leader, Community Development and Entrepreneurship Foundation, Quetta
57. Harsh Desai, Campus Head, Thadomal Shahani Centre for Media and Communication, Mumbai
58. Harsh Kapoor, South Asia Citizen's Web (sacw.net)
59. Harsh Mander, writer, activist, Delhi
60. Harsh Narayan, filmmaker and activist, Delhi
61. Ilma Iqbal, law student and team member - Aaghaz-e-Dosti
62. Imran Aziz, businessman, Rawalpindi
63. Imran Zahid, actor, Delhi
64. Imtiaz Ali, Deputy Speaker, Provincial Youth Assembly, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
65. Irfan Aslam, journalist
66. Ishaan Jajodia, Founder, The Mumbai Art Collective & Student, Dartmouth College
67. Jamuna Rangachari, Writer and Website-in-Charge, Life Positive magazine
68. Jatin Desai, journalist, Mumbai
69. Jayaprakash Satyamurthy, Writer and Musician, Bangalore
70. Jayshree Murali, Educator, VIDYA India, Mumbai
71. John Dayal, writer and activist, New Delhi
72. K. N. Panikkar, Historian, Trivandrum
73. K. Satchidanandan, writer, Kerala
74. Air Vice Marshal (retd) Kapil Kak, analyst, commentator on strategic and security issues
75. Kalpana Sharma, independent journalist, Mumbai
76. Kami Kidwai, Management Consultant, London
77. Kamla Bhasin, social activist, India
78. Karamat Ali, Executive Director PILER, Secretary National Labour Council and Founding member PIPFPD, Karachi
79. Kavita Krishnan, secretary, All India Progressive Women's Association
80. Kavita Srivastava, human rights worker, People’s Union for Civil Liberties
81. Kedar Maddula, Wunderhaus Artists’ Getaway & Homestay, Pondicherry
82. Kejal Savla, Program Lead at Community Connect Fellowship, The Blue Ribbon Movement, India
83. Adv. Kenneth Joe Cleetus, Program Officer, Regional Centre of Expertise, Trivandrum
84. Keshav Sharma, B.S. PPE Candidate, Northeastern University
85. Khushal Khan, activist, Islamabad
86. Kirthi Jayakumar, Founder, Red Elephant Foundation, Chennai
87. Kishwar Naheed, poet, Islamabad: "Strongly endorse and requesting all India & Pakistani writers to come ahead for peace and dialogue"
88. Konchadi Vasanth Pai, retd Company Executive, Bengaluru
89. Kuldeep Kumar, Columnist and Commentator, Delhi
90. Lalita Ramdas, Peace Activist, Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy, Alibag, India
91. Leena Dabiru, Legal and Development Consultant, Delhi
92. Madhulika Narasimhan, Research and Communications Professional and Core Member Aaghaz-e-Dosti
93. Mahesh Bhatt, film producer, India
94. Mani Shankar Aiyer, peace activist, writer, former parliamentarian, Delhi
95. Mannika Chopra, journalist
96. Mansi Sharma, Activist, Delhi
97. Maria Patel, advertising and media professional, Pakistan
98. Marvi Sirmed, journalist, Daily Times
99. Maroof Syed, Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government (HKS)
100. Maya Mirchandani, journalist, India
101. Mazher Hussain, Executive Director, COVA, India
102. Meenakshi Chhabra, peace educator, Lesley University
103. Mehmal Sarfraz, journalist, Lahore
104. Mohd. Afroj, Research Scholar, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
105. Mohammad Jibran Nasir, Never Forget Pakistan, Lawyer
106. Mohammad Shoaib, Aariz Media
107. Mohammad Tahseen, ED South Asia Partnership Pakistan and Convenor Pakistan Civil Society Forum
108. Mohammad Zakiuddin Mahdi, Research Scholar, Uttarakhand Technical University
109. Mukesh Arora, financial consultant, Meerut
110. Najiba Ayubi, journalist, Killid Group, Afghanistan
111. Nasim Zehra, journalist, teacher, TV anchor
112. Nasima Karim, Co-founder and Focal Point Central Asia at Here We Are, Kyrgyz Republic
113. Nandita Narain, associate professor in Mathematics, St Stephen's College Delhi University
114. Neena Gopal, Journalist, Resident Editor Deccan Chronicle, Bangalore
115. Nidhi Razdan, journalist, India
116. Nivedita, TV journalist, India
117. Nirupama Subramanian, journalist
118. Ovais Sultan Khan, social activist, Delhi
119. Pamela Philpose, journalist, India
120. Parag Shah, Communications Coordinator, Asia Plateau, Panchgani
121. Pawan Bali, journalist and filmmaker
122. Dr Pervez Hoodhboy, physicist and teacher, Islamabad
123. Pervez Majeed, Journalist, Srinagar, Kashmir
124. Pervin Sanghvi, Consultant, Development Communications, Mumbai
125. Praveen Singh, convenor for Milne Do and Students Right to Accommodation, Delhi
126. Prem Shankar Jha, journalist, columnist, India
127. Qurat-ul Ain, Lee Kuan Yew Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
128. Rabeea Arif, Head of Graphic Design, University of Karachi
129. Raheel Khursheed, Head of News Partnerships, South Asia & South East Asia at Twitter
130. Raheem ul Haq, Senior Research Fellow at Centre for Governance and Public Policy, Forman Christian College
131. Rahul Reddy, student, geopolitical analyst, technologist, humanist
132. Ram Mohan Rai, Advocate and Peace Activist
133. Ram Puniyani, Center for Study of Society and Secularism, Mumbai
134. Rahul Roy, filmmaker, Gurgaon
135. Dr. Raminder Jit Singh Founder & Director 'THE - SARA', Jammu
136. Rashida Dohad, Executive Director, Omar Asghar Khan Foundation, Islamabad
137. Ravi Kiran Jain, President PUCL, India
138. Ravi Nitesh Srivastava, Peace Activist, Founder - Aaghaz-e-Dosti
139. Raza Khan, Peace Activist, Lahore
140. Raza Habib Raja, PhD student, Syracuse University, USA
141. Raza Rumi, editor Daily Times, Cornell University faculty
142. Raza Syed, journalist, Awaaz multimedia Group
143. Reema Amin, educationist and peacenik, Lahore
144. Rita Manchanda, writer, activist, Delhi
145. Ruchhita Kazaria, advertiser, Kolkata
146. Saba Dewan, independent documentary filmmaker, Gurgaon
147. Saeed Ahmed Rid, Assistant Professor, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad
148. Safia Bokhari, peace activist, Lahore
149. Sahar Alamgir, Masters Student and Development Professional, Islamabad/London
150. Dr Saima Firdoos, physician, Rawalpindi/Boston, former board member APPNE
(Cover Photograph: Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik's work at Puri beach, Odisha)