August 21, 2002	Wednesday	Jamadi-us-Saani 11,1423

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SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 20: A group of prominent Indian and Pakistani intellectuals, writers and peace activists have launched the Silicon Valley India-Pakistan Peace Coalition. The peace coalition was formed at a meeting jointly initiated by Ras Siddiqui, a well-known Pakistani American community leader and Dinesh Chandra, an India peace activist and co-founder of the Foundation for Human and Economic Development (FHED).

Mr Siddiqui argued that immediate peace talks in South Asia were a necessity and that just worrying about the possibility of war between India and Pakistan was not enough but some initiative both global and local was needed to get these countries and our communities to start a dialogue.

Mr Chandra, who had been very involved in putting together a People to People Dialogue at Panchgani last August, said that Track II diplomacy should be used to resolve the conflict between India and Pakistan.

Dr Waheed Siddiqi, former president of United Muslims of America (UMA), was of the view that peace between Pakistan and India is not possible unless the problem of Kashmir is resolved. Ifkikhar Hai, UMA’s Interfaith Director pointed out that there should be a peace which should be honourable for both the countries.

Jeevan Zutshi, a prominent Kashmiri pundit leader, said he always wondered how “we can end the current situation of enmity between India and Pakistan and why we cannot live together. This situation is going on for the last 50 years.”

Silicon Valley has one of the largest concentrations of South Asian population in America. It has also the largest Muslim American population.

Concerned about the continuing standoff between India and Pakistan, the city of Fremont Library this month held a series of four seminars on India-Pakistan relations. The seminars coincided with the independence day celebrations of both India and Pakistan which were celebrated by the large Indian and Pakistan community with a month-long meetings and melas. The topics of these seminars were: Creative solutions for a just peace: Reconceptualizing India, Pakistan, Kashmir Relations; Resolving the Kashmir conflict: what should be the US role?, The triangular relations of India, Pakistan and America since 1989 and Easing India-Pakistan relations: local community response.

Speaking at the symposiums, Dr Agha Saeed, chairman of Pakistani American Democratic Forum and Professor of Political Science at the California of University Hayward, pointed out that two main features of a solution to the Kashmir problem should be: demilitarization and de-absolutization of positions. It means that the Kashmiri fighters as well as the Indian army should announce ceasefire and the concerned parties should adjust their absolute position in order to reach an agreement.

Dr Ahmed Faruqui, Fellow of the American Institute of International Studies and Economist, argued that the United States should play a role in resolving the Kashmir issue. He added that the common enemy is poverty and not terrorists or Al Qaeda.