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A Joint Statement of Lahore,
September 1994
At a time when the governments of India and Pakistan
are intensifying mutual confrontation, with government and political
leaders openly talking about the inevitability of a conflict and
stockpiling of nuclear weapons, the situation in the sub-continent is
on the brink of war. In a climate of hysteria forces of bigotry and
religious intolerance threaten the fabric of civil society on the
sub-continent. In such a bellicose atmosphere democratic rights of the
people are imperilled. There is therefore an urgent need for saner
voices to prevail. A group of concerned citizens from India and
Pakistan, from different walks of life, have been engaged in a process
to initiate a people-to-people dialogue on the critical issues of Peace
and Democracy. As a follow-up to this a group of 25 persons from the
two countries met in Lahore on September 2, 1994 and after consultation
came to the conclusion that the crisis in their relations was being
deliberately maintained by the ruling elites in utter disregard of the
common interest and aspirations of the people of the two countries. It
was agreed:
1. That war and attempts to create war hysteria
should be outlawed;
2. That a process of de-nuclearisation and reversal of the arms race
should be started;
3. That Kashmir not merely being a territorial dispute between India
and Pakistan, a peaceful democratic solution of it involving the
peoples of Jammu and Kashmir is the only way out;
4. That religious intolerance must be curbed as these tendencies create
social strife, undermine democracy and increase the persecution and
oppression of disadvantaged sections of society;
5. And finally that the group constitutes a convening committee for
setting up a Peoples' Forum for Peace and Democracy. It was decided to
hold a larger representative convention, to which should be invited,
from India and Pakistan, representatives of the human rights movement,
workers organisations, peasant movement, women's movement, environment
movement and other mass organisations, cultural workers, professionals
and academics. Efforts should be made to involve persons well known for
their commitment to peace, equity and social justice, communal amity,
democracy and people's solidarity in the sub-continent.
The above statement was endorsed by the following participants:
Pakistan:
I. A. Rehman
Khaled Ahmad
Prof. Dr. Haroon Ahmad
Karamat Ali
Dr.Mubarak Ali
Prof. Mehdi Hasan
Shahid Kardar
Madeeha Gohar
Nighat Saeed Khan
Hussain Naqi
B.M. Kutty
Anees Haroon
Iftikharul Haq
Prof. Rashid Ahmad
Dr. Mubashir Hasan |
India:
Nirmal Mukerji
Rajni Kothari
K.G. Kannabiran
Prof. Dinesh Mohan
Gautam Navlakha
Dr. Kamal Mitra Chenoy
Teesta Setalvad
Tapan K. Bose
Amrita Chhachhi
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Delhi Declaration
A group of concerned citizens from Pakistan and India have initiated a
process of discussions to build up a movement for peace and democracy
in the sub-continent. The first formal discussion was held in Lahore,
Pakistan, on 2 September 1994 (Declaration and list of participants
attached). The second discussion was held on 25 and 26 November 1994 at
which the following participated.
Members of Pakistan team:
Dr. Mubashir Hasan, Prof. Haroon Ahmed, Ms. Beena Sarvar, Ms. Madeeha
Gohar and Mr. Karamat Ali.
Members of Indian team:
Mr. Nirmal Mukerji, Prof. Dinesh Mohan, Mr. Sumanta Banerji, Mr. Gautam
Navlakha, Mr. Tapan Bose, Ms Kamla Bhasin, Ms Teesta Setelvad, Mr.
Achin Vanaik, Dr. Kamal Mitra Chenoy, Dr. Anuradha Chenoy, Ms. Rita
Manchanda, Ms. Amrita Chachhi, Mr.Smitu Kothari, Mr. E. Deenadayalan.
The group believes that:
1. The politics of confrontation between India and
Pakistan has failed to achieve benefits of any kind for the people of
both countries.
2. The people of both countries increasingly want genuine peace and
friendship and would like their respective governments to honour their
wishes.
3. Peace between the two countries will help in reducing communal and
ethnic tension in the sub-continent.
4. Peace in the sub-continent will help the South Asian region to
progress economically and socially, especially in the face of the new
economic order.
5. Governments of Pakistan and India must agree to an unconditional
no-war pact immediately without yielding to any third party pressure.
6. A democratic solution to the Kashmir dispute is essential for
promoting peace in the sub-continent.
The group has decided to organise the following activities to promote
the cause of peace and democracy:
1. Organisation of a People's Convention on
Peace and Democracy in New Delhi on 24-25 February 1995. The convention
will be attended by around one hundred representatives each from India
and Pakistan.
2. Exchange of information on activities
promoting peace and democracy in both countries.
3. Release of pamphlets containing writings
of Pakistani and Indian authors concerning intolerance, religious
bigotry, sectoral violence, discrimination against minorities and
disadvantaged sections of society, militarisation, democratic
governance and the Kashmir dispute.
4. Exchange of artists, scientist and
technologists.
5. To create an atmosphere of peace to
influence the governments of India and Pakistan to enter into
meaningful negotiations for peace and democracy.
6. To make the governments aware that the
people of both countries do not want war and want to live in an
atmosphere of peace and friendship.
Sd/- Mr. Nirmal Mukerjee
Co-Chairperson Joint Preparatory Committee (India)
Sd/- Dr. Mubashir Hasan
Co-Chairperson Joint Preparatory Committee (Pakistan)
The representatives of the under mentioned organisations and
individuals have endorsed this statement and pledged their support to
the people's convention on Peace and Democracy.
1. Satyendra
Ranjan (PUCL)
2. Shamsul Islam (Friend of Nishant Natya Manch)
3. Ranabir Samaddar (Institute of Asian Studies)
4. Jaya Shrivastava ('ANKUR')
5. Syeda Hameed
6. Farida Khan
7. Anuradha M. Chenoy (CITU)
8. Rajen Mathew Thomas
9. Kamala Prasad (AITUC)
10. Arvind Kumar Mishra
11. Ardhendu Roy (AICCTU)
12. K.K. Niyogi
13. Suhasini Mulay
14. Suman Sahai
15. Varyam Singh
16. Abdul Mabood
17. Anjali Gopalan
18. Saroj Chaudhuri (CITU)
19. Perin Chandra
20. Santosh Kumar (AITUC)
21. Dhirendra Sharma
22. Vedpratap Vaideek
23. Ritu Menon
24. Madhu Kishwar
25. Maja Daruwala
26. Amrita Cheema Behrendt
27. Mr. Babu Mathew, Bharat Electronic Employees Union Bangalore
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28. Ms. Ruth Manorama, Women's Voice, Bangalore
29. Mr. Cyril Reddy, Salah Legal Forum, Hyderabad
30. Mr. A.J. Vijayan, National Fishworker's Forum, Trivandrum
31. Mr. D. Thankappan, Kamani Employees Union Kurla, Bombay
32. Mr. M. Subhu, Tamilnadu State Const. Workers Union
33. Ms. Farida Jaleel, SEWA's Union, Lucknow
34. Mr. Mazhar Hussain, Deccan Development, Hyderabad
35. Mr. Smitu Kothari, LOKAYAN, New Delhi
36. Mr. Firoz Ahmed, K.S.C.W Union, Bangalore
37. Mr. P. Veeresh Rice Oil Mills & General Workers Union,
Bangalore Bellary (Dist.) Karnataka.
38. Mr. Paul Parakal National Federation of Const. Labour, Kochi
39. SEWA, Indore, Madhya Pradesh
40. Mr. Madhukhant Pathuriya, Nirman Mazdoor Sangh Maharashtra
41. Mr. Ashok Choudhary .- VIKALP, Saharanpur, U.P.
42. Mr. Vishnu Shukla, Shramik Vikas Samiti, Kanpur
43. Fr. T.K. John, Vidhya Jyoti, New Delhi
44. Mr. Alok Mukhopadhya, Voluntary Health Association of India, New
Delhi.
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