Public Opinion must be Loud and Clear
It is not fair on the part of right thinking responsible citizens
to only criticize the government and conclude that rulers will not
solve the problem of neighbourly relations. We can not afford to sit
back and watch all the goodwill and hopes generated by Agra trickle
away before our eyes. We should not allow things to slip back to square
one. The solution that comes out from the common people would be forthright
and can not be countered. The groundswell of public opinion should
force a solution upon the rulers. All the constructive steps and suggestions
outlined in this article are known to rulers as well. However, the
political will is lacking. The public opinion should force them to
act on them. Here is an opportunity for us to do exactly the same
thing.
This author is aware of one such public campaign by people who are
not in electoral politics. The aim is to bring peace in the region.
As the author believes that such efforts should be encouraged and
brought to the notice of right thinking people, here are the details
of the attempt (signature campaign) currently made by an organization
Pakistan-India People's Solidarity Conference Coordination Cell. The
dispatch is made through "South Asia Citizens Wire (SACW)" run by
South Asia Citizens Web. The collected signatures would be forwarded
in bulk to Pakistan-India People's Solidarity Conference Coordination
Cell in New Delhi. This Solidarity Conference was held prior to Agra
Summit in New Delhi on 12th July 2001 and discussed, debated, and
fiercely argued about various issues that have plagued both nations.
Over 200 broad-based civil society organizations and people's groups
from India and Pakistan attended this conference and are involved
in this massive campaign. At the end of this conference, a joint declaration
was drafted and which is what to be endorsed by the peace loving citizens
of both the countries. This massive signature campaign is taking place
simultaneously in India and Pakistan. In the nutshell, this declaration
appeals to both the governments to "return to the agenda for global
disarmament", affirms that "peace, democracy and justice are indivisible",
calls for a "change in the old mindsets with the changing times",.
The declaration also points out the fact that "Kashmir issue is not
only a territorial dispute between the two States but involves the
people of Jammu and Kashmir (which includes Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh,
Muzzafarabad, Mirpur, Gilgit, and Baltistan)". This declaration rightly
calls for the "involvement of the people o both sides of the LoC in
a non-sectarian solution" and asserts that "Kashmir solution is possible
only in the atmosphere of India-Pakistan friendship". The Preamble
of Declaration mentions that "the resources of both countries should
be transferred from bombs to books, from submarines to schools, from
missiles to medicines, from frigates to food, from runways for bombers
to railroads for people".
This declaration has been endorsed by eminent people: two Nobel Peace
Prize Laureates - H.H. Dalai Lama and Jose Ramos-Horta of East Timor;
Cora Weiss, President of the Hague Appeal for Peace (conference held
in May 1999) and the International Peace Bureau, and the spiritual
leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, in his message
has exhorted us "to bring back human values" and also mentioned that
"right education is that which unites us in love and peace and take
us beyond the political, social, racial, and religious boundaries".
Cora Weiss remarked in his message that "the governments will not
move until and unless organized civil society leads the way". He also
alerted that both our nations are nuclear powers and "it has the potential
of ending up destroying life on earth, unless it is contained and
resolved". Jose Ramos-Horta called this Declaration " a very constructive
and balanced document that could be easily endorsed and implemented
by people and leaders of the region".
Jose Ramos-Horta rightly said that "in this globalised community inter connected by the electronic media and the internet, foreign policy and the fate of nations can no longer rest solely in the hands of a small group of diplomats and politicians". He called upon people to endorse this declaration by saying that "You can make a difference, you can succeed where others have failed". The author requests the "nilacharal" readers to visit the website www.pakindpeace.org and join this Signature Campaign for Peace by endorsing the declaration through the submit form via e-mail. This campaign is going to culminate at a Celebration for Peace at the Wagah Border on the night of 14th/15th August 2001. It would be nice if this campaign continues even after the Independence Day.
Finally, the reader is requested to echo all the sentiments expressed here if he/she agrees with the author. The more and more we discuss about it and exude hope and confidence in various fora that much we move closer towards the much-awaited panacea, the lasting peace in this nuclear-sensitive region and the growth accelerated by mutual co-operation.