Petition Launched To
Defuse Tension On India, Pakistan and Kashmir Borders
By Mazhar Iqbal
August 22, 2013
Honourable Prime Ministers of India
and Pakistan: End tension at Line of Control
A petition has recently been launched by the people
of Jammu & Kashmir to defuse tension on India-Pakistan borders. The
petition has been initiated at distinguished website www.change.org- an
online petitioning platform, and it says that the people of Jammu and
Kashmir on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) are concerned about their
safety and security, particularly of the people living with the close vicinity
of the LoC, who are directly hit by sporadic incidents of shelling and firing.
The petition was launched by
Mohsin Shakil, a Muzaffarabad based university dean and is still far behind its
initial target of 500 signatures. However, it may serve as a reminder for India
and Pakistan to keep themselves away from another muscle-flexing drill over
Kashmir, particularly, after escalation of tensions at the Line of Control
(LoC) that has been building up gradually and has suddenly taken an ugly turn
in recent weeks.
The change.org now
boastfully claims 40 million global users and as many as 1,000 petitions a day.
It means any meaningful protest call backed by a substantial number of people
could prove itself be a wakeup call
The
petition says that the people of Jammu and Kashmir on both sides of the Line of
Control (LoC) & supporters of peace in the region are concerned about the
safety and security of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the people
living with the close vicinity of the LoC, who are directly hit by sporadic
incidents of shelling and firing.
These repeated violations of the
ceasefire that has been in place as part of an agreement between India and
Pakistan since 2003 have been adversely affecting the lives of the people in
the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir. Besides, there is a potential danger
of reversing the gains of this biggest confidence building measure that has
enabled and facilitated interactions, howsoever symbolic, between the two sides
of the divided State, provided security and an atmosphere of healing for much
needed development for the people living in the disputed region of Jammu and
Kashmir. Besides, these tensions threaten the very framework of peace for which
a 10 year long ceasefire at the LoC has been a great bulwark, even though the
pace of peace process has been so far tardy and does not fully engages with the
people of this State.
The petitioners fear that if these
tensions at the LoC are allowed to prolong, they will compromise the goodwill
that has been built and reverse the peace dividends. We also fear that they
will cause massive sufferings to the people of not just the border areas, but
eventually of the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir, on both sides. Besides,
they will provide a greater space to extremist, hawkish and fanatic elements as
well as empower the war mongers on both sides. They also have the potential of
ushering the whole region into a new war destroying hopes of long term peace
and economic stability.
A Kashmiri journalist has said that
ceasefire is a must and sole Kashmir issue. Another petitioner Chandrika
JP from Indian side of the divide says ‘’I and my ancestors
have suffered a lot due to this issue’’
One concerned person has raised the
most poignant side of the issue i want the respectable solution of my state
Jammu and Kashmir because i am a stateless person since last 37 years (Khawaja
Ghulam Nabi).
Zafar Meraj from Srinagar (Indian
side) says ‘’It is Kashmir that suffers when the two elephants start fighting’’
Renowned Kashmiri Ved Bhasin
suggest that this petition needs to be heard by concerned people For pushing
forward the India Pakistan peace process , a peaceful solution of the Kashmir
problem and for the welfare of the people of J&K across the LoC who have
been bearing the brunt of such clashes
Shazia Bakshi from Indian side
says I as a citizen of India support this petition. Having been recently to
Pakistan and having experienced their warm hospitality and genuine love and
friendship first hand strongly urge all my friends to sign this petition.
One heart touching reason by a
signatory: Being a resident of divided land I feel that every bullet fired is
killing me spiritually.
The signatories of the petition also
deplore the war rhetoric and attempts by political or religious groups for
symbolism of Kashmir to justify war mongering and hatred.
They call for an immediate end to the hostilities on the Line of Control.
They call for an immediate end to the hostilities on the Line of Control.
The petitioners have called upon the
political leadership in New Delhi and Islamabad to impress upon their
respective militaries to immediately desist from this continuum of shelling and
firing incidents. They have also called upon them to initiate action to begin
immediate dialogue for a more long term end to these on-going tensions, to
restore the sanctity of the ceasefire that has been in place since 2003 by
replacing strategic insecurities of the two militaries with mutual trust and
co-operation.
(The writer is
peace & human rights activist and member of Press for Peace, a
Kashmiri rights advocacy organisation based in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan
Administered Kashmir).
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