Altaf Hameed Rao
MIRPUR (AJK): Over 200 notables belonging to diverse segments of the civil society including the intellectuals from Pakistan, India and from both sides of the LoC have stressed the need for an un-interrupted and sustainable dialogue between India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir to find out an amicable solution of the long pending dispute.
The appeal to respective governments was made through a unanimous resolution by the civil society representatives thereby launching an E Petition here on Monday.
“During the past 70 years the people of India and Pakistan have seen too many conflicts and the loss of many valuable lives, hostilities, distrust and tensions. Particularly those who suffer are ordinary people denied visas and people living in the conflict zones, especially women and children as well as fishermen who get routinely rounded up and arrested for violating the maritime boundaryâ€, the resolution said.
The resolution condemned in strong terms what it called as “all forms of violence regardless of its objectivesâ€. Expressing serious concern at the surging animosity and antagonism between India and Pakistan, the signatories of the e-petition urged 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 attacksâ€, the e-petition says adding that the traditional response to such disruptions only strengthens those who want continued tensions between our two countries.
The e-petition demanded the governments of India and Pakistan to (a) develop an institutionalized framework to ensure that continuous and uninterrupted talks between India and Pakistan take place regularly. (b) Ensure that political leaders, diplomats and civil servants from both countries conduct talks on the side-lines of all international and multilateral forums. (c) Recognize 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. (d) Implement the 2003 ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan. (e) Support and encourage all forms of people to people contact, and remove visa restrictions and discrimination faced by citizens of both countries. (f) Increase trade and economic linkages and cultural exchanges between India and Pakistan.
E-petition also urged media houses on either side to prevent the growing militarization of debate saying that there was a dire need that media should act responsibly and stop broadcasting hate speech and creating public hysteria.