A resolution was presented to condemn the murder of Salman Taseer Shaheed, during Peoples SAARC meeting/conference in Dhaka on January 18-19 th, 2011. Resolution was unanimously adopted by the house. Please find attached the names of the signatories and scanned copy of the original resolution and signatures
- scanned copy of the original resolution
RESOLUTION TO CONDEMN THE MURDER OF SALMAN TASEER
We the development practitioners, political workers, civil society leaders, representatives of social movements, peace and human rights activists, writers, journalists and concerned citizens of South Asia and the participants of Conference on ’Envisioning New South Asia: People’s Perspectives’, 18-19 January, 2011, Dhaka, Bangladesh condemn the brutal murder of Salman Taseer, governor of Punjab, Pakistan, by a religious extremist and demand that the culprit should be brought to justice immediately and the government of Pakistan and other states of South Asian region should stop using communalism and religious fundamentalism to persecute religious and ethnic minorities to divide and rule the peace loving progressive and secular peoples of the region.
Country
Name of the signatory
Pakistan
Karamat Ali
Maldives
Latheff Mohamed
Srilanka
Mohammad Maruf
India
Meena Rukmini Menon
India
Jatin Babu Desai
India
Lalita Ramdas
India
Kamla Bhasin
Nepal
Sarba Raj Khadka
Nepal
Netra Prasad Timsina
Nepal
Rachita Sharma Dhungel
Manila
Jenina Joy Chavez
Pakistan
Farrukh Sohail Goindi
Pakistan
Zulfiqar Ali Halepoto
Pakistan
Mohamed Ilyas
Pakistan
Hasil Khan Bizenjo
Pakistan
Mohammed Aslam Meraj
Pakistan
Najma Sadiq
Pakistan
Zahida Parveen Detho
Pakistan
Sharafat Ali
Pakistan
Nadeem Ashraf
Pakistan
Shaikh Asad Rehman
India
Kamal Aron Mitra Chenoy
India
Neera Chandhoke
India
Babulal Sharma
Srilanka
Sunila Abhey Sekhara
India
Ashok Ghosh Chowdhury
India
Roma Malik
Nepal
Kapil Shrestha
Nepal
Gopal Krishna Siwakoti
Nepal
Liladhar Upadhyaya
Nepal
Bushnu Pukar Shrestha
Afganistan
Raz Mohd Dalili
India
Gautam Mody
India
Dr. Amrita Chhachhi
India
Anil Kumar Chaudhury
Nepal
Dinesh Mani Tripath
[Related news report on People’s SAARC Meet in Dhaka]
Daily Times
January 20, 2011
Democratisation of state urged to combat religious extremism
* Experts say income inequality, control of resources by rich, rise of corporate interest adding new tensions to region
DHAKA: Speakers at the People’s SAARC seminar on Wednesday laid emphasis on increasing democratisation of the state to combat growing religious extremism.
They also stressed on creating a SAARC parliamentarian forum to bring the legislators from all countries together to envision a common future of the region. They said the situation in the South Asian countries was deteriorating with a large number of people resorting to violence and extremism after being devastated in socio-political life dominated by the elite.
Income inequality, control of economic resources by the rich and the rise of corporate interest dominating the state institutions were adding new tensions which destabilised nations, and greedy politicians were exploiting the situation to perpetuate their power, they added. They feared the war in Afghanistan and Pakistan might lead to Balkanisation of the region, including India.
Former Indian naval chief, M Ramdas, said of $1,200 billion arms trade last year, 30 percent went to India, followed by 14-15 percent purchases made by Pakistan.
He said the region must try to thwart external influences to avoid destabilisation and the countries should allow domestic forces play their role to bring prosperity to the poor and marginalised people.
Speakers also stressed on remodelling the education system to induce the spirit of democracy and secularism so that the madrassa education and its impacts on younger minds could be minimised. New Age editor Nurul Kabir said secularism and an equitable distribution of wealth could provide the basis of a sustainable state. He pointed out democratic tolerance and pluralism could only satisfy the need of the nation state. “It may also provide the basis of a South Asian union,†he added.
Some participants stressed that governments guarantee constitutional rights to tribal people so that the majority in a society could not exploit their situation and force them into taking extremist stands.
They said state should become people centric to support its citizens as only this could safeguard peace and stability in all SAARC countries. Kamal Chenoy, Hasil Bizenjo, Bishunu Shrestha, Muhammad Lateef, Lalitha Ramdas, Karamat Ali, Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Netra Timsina, Najma Sadeq and others spoke on the occasion.