Some 85 peace activists from Indian State of West Bengal have deplored attempts to ‘ deny the legitimacy of the struggle of Kashmiri people’ and called for negotiations involving the Kashmiris for last peace in the region.
In a statement communicated to Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy, they said expressed deep concern over rising South Asian tensions.
“We the following signatories from West Bengal are deeply concerned about the escalating tension between the two neighboring countries, India and Pakistan, and the jingoism in support of armed conflict as the method to resolve this tension,”
The activists said that the recent civil unrest in the Kashmir Valley has cost nearly 100 lives, even more are injured and those blinded by pellets include children. “Yet the leaderships of the two countries have used the tragedy as a political weapon to berate each other in the UN Human Rights Council and the General Assembly.”
“The attempt is to completely deny the legitimacy of the struggle of the Kashmiri people for cultural, linguistic, and social identity and self-rule.
“This has deeply vitiated the atmosphere in the region leading to the cancellation of the SAARC summit. Evacuation orders, forcing villagers to flee their homes in border villages, have already resulted in the displacement of over 5 lakh (500,000) people in India alone, causing immense hardship; land mines are now being laid out here, destabilizing the border region.”
On New Delhi’s warning to wage a water war against Pakistan, the Bengali peace activists noted that the Indian government’s “threat to scrap the Indus Water Treaty is a gross violation of the rights of the lower riparian state and its cancellation will create a massive humanitarian disaster, affecting innocent civilians and leading to the collapse of agriculture and supply of drinking water in several parts of Pakistan.”
They said wars are not known to resolve any issue, they only result in further devastation and misery for ordinary people.
“We urge the leadership of the two countries to renew the process of dialogue as there is no alternative to normalise the situation. Let us as citizens of the two countries raise our voices for peace so that future generations can enjoy freedom from the sub human levels of poverty, ill health and unemployment inflicting South Asia. Let us also resolve that if Kashmir is the cause of tension in the region, we will all shun war and carry forward on the path of dialogue involving the people of Kashmir for lasting peace.”
The signatories include Professors Ranabir Samaddar, Sushil Khanna, Partha Chatterjee, Vidyanand Jha, journalists, filmmakers, and members of the West Bengal Chapter of Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy.
