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ISLAMABAD, Sept 21: Lighting of candles and singing of songs for peace, tolerance and a conflict-free world were the major features of the International Day of Peace, which the United Nations Information Centre and the Peace Council of Pakistan jointly celebrated here on Sunday.
The event was marked by musical renderings, banners, paintings and tableaus by students who stole the evening with their performance for promoting a humane society around the globe.
UN resident coordinator Onder Yucer tolled the bell for peace and joined other participants coming from different communities of the world in a walk at which giant doves were also displayed as a plea for peace.
Mr Ucer also read out a message from UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in which he appealed to the people all over the world to work for the beginning of a peaceful dialogue and promoting a global consensus on the dominant threats to peace and security.
Counting on conflicts, violence and hatred and the attack on the UN headquarters in Baghdad, Mr Annan said these threats had raised a basic question about the international community’s efforts for the world peace.
“Our challenge is to ensure we have the rules, instruments and institutions to deal with all these threats, not according to the “first order” and the “second order” issues but as a linked set of global and cross-border challenges that affect and should concern all the people”, he said, adding that problems of poverty, disease, deprivations and civil wars could be addressed only if there was peace.
Peace Council of Pakistan chairperson Mumtaz Ahmad Tarar said the council stood for resolution of conflicts by peaceful means which alone could ensure an egalitarian society.
Songs were rendered by students of Grammar School, Rawalpindi, the Islamabad Model College for Girls (F-7/4) and the Roots Montessori and High School which impressed the participants. A chain of hands as a commitment to peace in the country and elsewhere in the world was also formed during the rendering of one of the songs.
The United Nations General Assembly on September 7, 2001, through a resolution, fixed September 21 for observation of World Peace Day every year.
A reporter ADDS: There is a general impression that the West is creating scenes where war becomes inevitable, but it is all part of international terrorism.
This was stated by a peace activist, Dr Zareena Salamat, while speaking at a function organized by ActionAid Pakistan in connection with International Peace Day here on Sunday.
Students of schools for Afghan refugees and street children participated in the function.
The West is experimenting its latest military equipment on weaker nations and exploring new markets for sale of weapons, Dr Salamat said.
Pakistan and India are one of the biggest buyers of weapons in the region and wasting huge amount to annihilate each other, she added.
On the occasion, poetess and Hawwa Craft Foundation president Kishwar Naheed, voiced her opinion about peace and highlighted the importance of involving youth in the peace initiative.
She read a poem emphasizing the need for peace in the disputed territory of Kashmir.
She encouraged the children to extend friendship and give roses to one another as a symbol of love, affection and peace.
The schoolchildren presented peace songs like Dosti and Lab Pe Aati Hae Dua, and made theatre performances.
ActionAid is working for the last four years to promote peace through developing linkages between peace activists and civil society organizations. The NGO considers children agents of change and peace. It is working to strengthen friendly relations between Pakistan and India.
