KARACHI, July 8: A group of civil society organizations have urged the government to give visas to 18 Indian women rights activists who are coming here as a part of the relay march being attended by the peace activists around the globe. Speaking at a press conference at Karachi Press Club on Friday, members of the Network for Women’s Rights – Saleha Ather, Anis Haroon, Karamat Ali, and Farhat Parveen – said that on one hand the government was trying to portray its soft image in the world and on the other it was denying visas to the activists who were marching to propagate peace and rights of women.

They said that if visas to the 18 women activists, who were scheduled to visit Lahore and Karachi for various programmes during their four-day stay here, were not issued it would adversely affect the image of the country.

The women rights activists said that they had applied well in time to secure visas for the visitors, but the government had regretted to issue the visas. They said that they had also approached the high ups but so far no positive response had been received.

They pointed out that none of the countries through which the activists had passed created any problems for them, and if visas were not issued to the Indian activists, Pakistan internationally would be seen the first, and probably the only country, that was trying to create problems for the efforts being made for peace and rights.

The international relay march, which started from Brazil on March 8, has passed through more than 50 countries in three continents. It is expected to pass through over 150 countries and conclude at Burkina Faso in Africa on Oct 17, 2005.

It was mentioned that the activists were carrying the Women’s Global Charter for Humanity, which was adopted at Kigali (Rawanda) on Dec 10, 2004. The activists were carrying a quilt highlighting the women issues. Each one of the countries from where the activists passed was adding a 55cm piece of cloth to the quilt for highlighting the issues being faced by them.

They said that after the Indian activists would give them the charter and the quilt, four Pakistani activists were scheduled to fly to Azerbaijan from where the march would move to Lebanon on July 30.