Pakistan-India peace forum starts 10-year celebrations
By Our Reporter
LAHORE, Sept 4: Peace lovers of Pakistan and India started their two-day celebration of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of Pakistan-India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy in a local hotel on Saturday.
A delegation of 69 intellectuals, writers, former bureaucrats, generals and artistes arrived from India via Wagah to attend the celebrations, which started with a national convention of the Pakistan chapter.
The convention discussed the reports of four provincial and Islamabad chapters before the secretary-general presented his report about the activities of the Pakistan chapter. The press was not allowed to attend the convention as Rashed Rahman announced that the convention would discuss organizational matters.
A peace song by the Sanjan Nagar Girls School was the main attraction of the convention. A cultural programme, a play, was held after the lunch break. Delegates from both the countries participated in the discussion in the afternoon session. A documentary by Dr Wasif was also shown. A cultural programme of classical music by Indian artistes and a classical dance performance was held after the dinner.
The venue for the celebrations hummed with the activities of Indian and Pakistan intellectuals, writers, peace and human rights activists as they exchanged their views on the political, social and cultural scenario of their respective countries. There were stalls of books, pamphlets, posters and other things of tourists' interests on lawns of the hotel.
On Sunday, there will be joint committee meetings, which will discuss the problems of minorities, peace and Kashmir. The forum leaders will discuss resolutions and recommendations at the plenary session to be followed by a press conference. The Insan Foundation will also stage a play before the plenary session. The theme for the celebrations is Peace and Democracy Now. The forum issued a resume recalling the foundation statements of Lahore and Delhi, 1994, and declarations issued at sessions held at New Delhi in 1995, Lahore in 1995, Calcutta in 1996, Peshawar in 1998, Bengalore in 2000, Karachi in 2003. It said that over 1,000 people from all over India and a similar number from Pakistan crossed the border to attend the conventions which were attended by about 6,000 people. The Pakistan-India cricket match in Lahore was a visible example of the good will created to the dismay of war-mongers.
The resume also discussed the lessons of the past 10 years. It said that the peace movement in the sub-continent remained dormant till it was shaken by serious conflicts. In case of actual armed conflict the peace movement in both the countries is overshadowed by war hysteria. Peace movements have been a part-time activity of several NGOs. A full-time peace establishment has faded after the patronage dissipated in the later part of the last century. It is the contact between people, intellectuals, writers, artistes, professionals, labour leaders and opinion makers that has shattered the enemy myth. The forum appreciated the power of media in South Asia. People are fed up with the divisions and sub-divisions created by vested interests. A window to the world in almost every urban house (TV) has made people wish for a better future. Slogans and emotional messages can draw people to peace and democracy.
