South Asian Peace Activists Call for End to India-Pakistan Hostilities Amid Rising Military Tensions.
In a significant show of solidarity amid escalating military tensions between India and Pakistan, over 100 South Asians, primarily Indians and Pakistanis, gathered online on May 7 to make a strong call for peace and an end to violence between the two nuclear-armed nations.
The virtual meeting, which included prominent activists, academics, and journalists from both countries, emphasized the urgent need for both short-term and long-term resolutions to resolve differences between India and Pakistan, while highlighting the devastating human impact across South Asia.
South Asian Voices Unite
The online gathering featured notable speakers including Sheema Kermani, a Bharatnatyam dancer from Karachi; peace activists Saeeda Diep and Tahira Abdullah from Pakistan; retired Physics Professor A.H. Nayyar; Mohammad Tahseen from South Asia Partnership Pakistan; Indian filmmaker Anand Patwardhan; journalist Anuradha Bhasin from Jammu and Kashmir; researcher Rita Manchanda; social activist Sandeep Pandey; and human rights activist Lalita Ramdas, with Pakistani journalist Beena Sarwar moderating the discussion.
The meeting resulted in a resolution, now circulating as an online petition, categorically condemning all forms of violent extremism and terrorism, particularly the targeting of unarmed civilians.
“This cycle must end for peace to prevail,” the petition states. “Communal and faith-based politics feeding frenzy on both sides, amplified by media and social media, gives the illusion of a consensus for war.”
“This loud warmongering puts tremendous pressure on governments and armed forces on both sides, as well as inciting the public. It has severely vitiated the political climate in Southasia, fostering mistrust among citizens,” it further said.
Sustainable peace requires a collective rejection of such divisive ideologies by the people of the region, the statement added.
The petition can be accessed here.
PIPFPD’s call for Peace, Dialogue
Pakistan India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) urgently appealed to the governments of India and Pakistan for peace, imploring both the countries to “step back from the brink of war and immediately halt any further military escalation”.
“As leaders of nuclear-armed nations, both India and Pakistan should exercise restraint. Any continuation of the present situation with unpredictability of further military expansion would unleash catastrophic humanitarian consequences. It would claim countless innocent lives, and create massive displacement,” the statement said.
Opposing the war hysteria in both the countries, the PIPFPD urged both the countries to resist being swept along by these currents of hostility.
“The immediate cessation of hostilities, followed by renewed diplomatic engagement, offers the only sustainable path forward. We appeal to both the countries to find a diplomatic solution that addresses legitimate security concerns while avoiding the devastating consequences of armed conflict,” the statement added.
In another joint statement with the Friends of the Earth International and the World Forum of Fisher Peoples, the PIPFPD appealed to both governments to “immediately step back from the brink of war and halt any further military escalation.”
“This war, however, is not just about two states,” their statement notes. “It has become a staged theatre of global militarism, in which Kashmir is treated like a testing ground for new weapons systems, while civilians are reduced to expendable pawns.”
“We call on the people of South Asia to stand united in rejecting war. The survival and dignity of our region depends not on weapons, but on solidarity, cooperation, and peace,” the joint appeal said.
In an earlier statement the PIPFPD condemned the Pahalgam killings. Full statement:
Cross-Border Peace Initiative
Leading journalists, intellectuals, and peace activists from both countries issued a joint statement condemning terrorism against innocent tourists while calling for a “fair and credible investigation” and de-escalation of “a dangerous war-like situation.”
“We are of the considered view that fanning war hysteria and perpetuating ongoing tension into any kind of military conflict would be extremely destructive for our countries and peace-loving people,” the statement said.
“The logic of dialogue must prevail over the madness of the weapons of destruction.”
The statement, signed by over 40 prominent figures from both countries, including Imtiaz Alam (Secretary General of SAFMA), Tariq Khosa (Former IG Police Punjab), Saleema Hashmi (leading artist), Rita Manchanda, John Dayal (journalist), O.P Shah, M.Y. Tarigami (MLA) and Kumar Ketkar (MP and leading editor), emphasizes that “fanning war hysteria and perpetuating ongoing tension into any kind of military conflict would be extremely destructive for our countries and peace-loving people.”
Feminist Vision for Peace
The Women NCB-Pakistan organized a peace march in Lahore on May 7 and issued a powerful “Feminist Call for Peace” between India and Pakistan, highlighting how war and militarization, driven by nationalism and patriarchy, have long harmed the people of both countries, especially women, children, and marginalized communities.
“Feminism teaches us that true strength lies in dialogue, compassion, and justice – not in violence,” their statement asserts. “We affirm there is no feminist future in war.”
“The governments of India and Pakistan must behave responsibly. Any war between these two nuclear-armed nations would be disastrous not just for the people of those countries but for the region and for global peace,” the statement said.
The statement urged both the governments to de-escalate tensions, halt military aggression, and prioritize diplomacy and people-to-people engagement. “We demand inclusive peacebuilding processes that center the voices of women, youth, and the marginalized – those most affected and least heard,” it added.
The full statement can be accessed here
Regional Concerns from Nepal
Nepal’s civil society expressed alarm at the escalation, with prominent figures including former Human Rights Commissioner Sushil Pyakurel and journalist Kanak Mani Dixit urging the governments to communicate with each other and build trust.
“We strongly urge the governments in New Delhi and Islamabad to communicate with each other, directly or through intermediaries, to build trust and confidence so as to avoid intensification,” their statement reads, while also decrying “the use of religious rhetoric on both sides to fan the tension.”
“We also call upon the United Nations to activate itself to prevent a deepening of the India-Pakistan conflict. Similarly, we ask the Government of Nepal, as the present chair of the SAARC organisation, to immediately consult with counterparts in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka to bring moral pressure to bear on the authorities of India and Pakistan. Inaction is not the answer in a time of regional crisis,” the statement added.
Southasia Peace Action Network’s Urgent Plea
The Southasia Peace Action Network (Sapan) has made an urgent plea for both countries to stop the war immediately, stating: “The governments of India and Pakistan must behave responsibly. Any war between these two nuclear-armed nations would be disastrous not just for the people of those countries but for the region and for global peace.”
Sapan also called upon journalists and social media users to engage with their platforms responsibly and ethically and not fan the fires.
It also urged the people of India and Pakistan to hold their governments accountable and resist any speech or actions that feed war hysteria.
“We call on all those who believe that peace, not war, is the way forward, to speak out against the politics of hate, violence, and vengeance, and to stand up for dialogue, cooperation, and a shared future of peace and co-existence,” the Sapan statement added.
The full statement can be accessed here
Earlier Calls for Peace
Earlier before India and Pakistan exchange military strikes in the aftermath of the Pahalgam killings, several South Asian organisations condemned the terror attacks that killed 26 civilians and also called for peace between the two countries.
South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR), a regional network of Human Rights Defenders, condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam while urging both governments to “act cautiously with prudence to diffuse the ongoing tension immediately.”
Full statement can be accessed here:
The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) also issued a comprehensive statement condemning the killings while noting that “it is imperative that both governments realize their responsibility to their people and the bugles of war fall silent. Any other path by two nuclear armed powers would be catastrophic.”
As military tensions continue to escalate, these collective peace initiatives represent a growing grassroots movement across South Asia calling for diplomacy, dialogue, and peaceful resolution to prevent a potentially catastrophic conflict between two nuclear-armed neighbors.
Full statement can be accessed here
Content retrieved from: https://kashmirtimes.com/news/regional-peace-initiative-gains-momentum.