South Asia Citizens Web

March 10, 2012: The Pakistan Peace Coalition has once again called for a complete halt to the nuclear energy drive, currently being rigorously pursued by South Asian and East Asian countries particularly India, China, Korea with Pakistan eager to join the bandwagon.

Prime Minister of India, Sir, Outside your nuclear establishment, no one who is informed about such things believes that the energy security of our country can be attained through the construction of nuclear power plants. The poor prospect of nuclear power is evident from the global decline in the production of nuclear electricity. Today, nuclear electricity is more expensive than even electricity from solar. Moreover, a nuclear power plant, because of the complexity of operation and the possibility of release of deadly radiation, can be declared safe only by those pundits who have mortgaged their rationality to vested interests. Fukushima has proved this beyond doubt.

The undersigned condemn the arrest of senior journalist Syed Mohammad Kazmi by the Delhi Police Special Cell in connection with the attack on Israeli diplomat last month. Mr. Kazmi’s arrest is reminiscent of the arrest and false allegations against another veteran journalist, Iftikhar Gilani, several years ago.

Electoral sytem in India needs to slowly switch over to Proportionate Electorate System (PES) which could provide us a truly representative character of democracy.

The time has come for India to be bolder and more confident on human rights at the international level. Its growing stature in international affairs demands this leadership position. The current session of the UN Human Rights Council presents India with an excellent opportunity to move towards a foreign policy that truly befits the world’s largest democracy. It should seize the opportunity and vote in favour of accountability in Sri Lanka.