INDIAN PEACE DELEGATION ARRIVES

August 27, 2004 - (Daily Times) A 22-member inter-faith delegation of peace activists, ex-army officers, educationists, parliamentarians, social activists and intellectuals from India arrived in Lahore via Wagah on Thursday.

However, almost 60 others who planned to come could not make it because they were not granted visas. Those who were given visas included the head of the delegation, Dr Nirmala Deshpande, a member of the Rajya Sabha and chairman of the People for Asia organisation, and Gandhi Ashram.

Peace activists Asma Jehangir, Shahtaj, Tehseen and MNA Chaudhary Manzoor welcomed the delegation. The Indians later watched a play at a local hotel. The play, produced by a local NGO, was a critique of the transient nature of relations between the Indian and Pakistani governments.

Ms Jehangir, while addressing the gathering, said Pakistan and India had common problems in poverty; corruption and unemployment and they would be better able to fight these in peace. She said the public of both countries wanted peace, but the governments did not.

She said armies and weapons couldn’t protect either country. She said the exchange of delegations could play a vital role in promoting peace and praised the brave efforts of Pakistani and Indian people in this regard.

Abid Hassan Manto, a peace activist, said that the two countries had been ignoring peace talks since their existence. He said the first ever peace talks started in 1954 but concluded without result. “But we are hopeful that this time, the peace talks will be something more than a lingering hope,” he said.

Mr Manto said both countries spent far more on weapons than on eliminating poverty. He said only the people could be relied on to force a peace and for this they would have to collaborate.

Lt General (r) Moti Lal Dhar, former Indian vice chief of army staff, said the Kashmir dispute was the main hindrance to peace and must be solved through dialogue.

He said around 70,000 Indians and Pakistanis, of all religions, had lost their lives fighting between 1989 and 2004. He said the main threat for the people of both India and Pakistan was nuclear. He said a single nuclear missile fired from Pakistan could instantly kill 2.1 million Indians, and vice versa. He said the concept of security was the main problem so both countries spent massive amounts on nuclear weapons, but in today’s world, security was based on economics.
Nirmala Deshpande said in India, people had the slogan ‘Jay Hind’ (Victory for India), “but now we have a new slogan: ‘Victory for the whole world for peace’”. She said public opinion was very powerful and it was now time to use that power in favour of peace. She said only the public had the power to make South Asia nuclear free. She said India and Pakistan should give visas more easily.

Muhammad Saleem, a member of parliament in West India, said there was a need for a series of dialogues on all disputes between both countries including Kashmir. He said the people of both countries could not afford another war and if there was one, it might be the last. He said the new generation of journalist, jurists and social activists had a vital role to play in creating peace in the region.

Karan Masih, the bishop of New Delhi Church, said the people of both countries wanted peace because they had relatives on the other side. He said the powers that did not want peace in the region had divided India and Pakistan for their own interests, but they had failed to divide the people. He said that his community was working for peace and he had arranged trips for several peace delegations.

Bina Jain and Sobhna of the All Indian Women’s Conference called for a relaxation in the visa policies of both countries. They said people had relatives on both sides so it was important that both governments allow easy entry.

Tehseen, a representatives of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) for People’s Rights and Democracy, said trade between India and Pakistan would increase through peace and the people of both countries would be able to study and work on the other side of the border.

The delegation will leave Lahore today to attend the Urs of Bulleh Shah and the Solhe-Kul Bulleh Shah International Conference in Kasur. The Indian delegates will also take part in a seminar on peace at the Kasur District Hall, a meeting of the Peace Friendship Forum at the HRCP Auditorium in Lahore, the Bulleh Shah Dehar at the Lahore Bagh-e-Jinnah and a number of other activities. The delegation is expected to leave for India on August 29.

From: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_27-8-2004_pg7_15