ARTICLES

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-Going Beyond A ‘Peace Mela’-
Vijayan MJ

(The recently held Joint Convention of the Pakistan India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy-PIPFPD, in Karachi, did much more than what ‘peace melas’ and ‘peaceniks’ have done in the past. While being instrumental in organising the 6th Joint Convention and an active party to the people-to-people exchanges, the author attempts to analyse the event and especially its outcome in the context of the present Indo-Pak Peace Process and the ‘politics of peace’…

The Karachi Declaration, hailed as a Peoples’ Charter to peace, is being scanned here in the context of the complexities that exist…)

Karachi convention

Lot has been shared by many of the participants and media representatives about the 6th Joint Convention of Pakistan India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and democracy (PIPFPD), held at Karachi between the 12th and the 14th of December 2003. It has been called a “jamboree of peaceniks”, “biggest ever secular delegation between India and Pakistan”, “track-II at its best”, and so on. Whatever the categorization be, the Karachi Convention did bring 550 Indians and Pakistanis together, made them sit around and talk about the nitty-grittys of peace, democracy and human rights. The wide range of the issues that came up for discussions during the convention, including imperialist globalisation, economic co-operation, Siachen, Kashmir, militarisation, nuke issues, minority rights and so on, are reflected in the Karachi Declaration.

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The Karachi Declaration very clearly spelt out the peoples’ perspectives on these issues that need to be immediately addressed, to initiate a lasting peace process.

On globalisation
The declaration on behalf of the people of India and Pakistan observed that the people of the world in general and South Asia in particular, face new forms of imperialistic globalisation that are today

i) increasingly aided and abetted by local interests and constituencies,

ii) imposes an iniquitous system on the developing countries,

iii) destroys the livelihood of common people

iv) undermines the political and economic independence of countries

v) directs violence against societies with different political and social ideals, particularly Muslim people, and

vi) terrorises entire countries in the name of fighting terrorism.

“That the future of the people of Pakistan and India as independent countries is contingent upon permanent peace and harmony in order to fight the imperialist machination of subjugating and exploitation of the resources and the people of our countries.”

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Karachi declaration goes on to affirm that building strong trade and economic cooperation between the two countries and in entire South Asia to foster independent development is the only way to build substantive resistance against the IMF, World Bank and WTO, as well as the agents of imperialist globalisation.

On Kashmir
“Settle the Kashmir dispute respecting the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir on both sides of LoC, withdrawal of armed forces and armed groups on both sides, establish an effective and accountable mechanism to ensure protection of life and liberty of the people of J&K, particularly women.”

Forum upheld its position that Kashmir is not just a bilateral issue to be settled between India and Pakistan, instead a solution could be brought about only by honouring the aspirations of the people of Jammu & Kashmir. Towards this, the Joint Convention has appointed a joint peoples’ committee on Kashmir, inclusive of people from J&K, Pakistan and India.

Negating any role of ‘Nuclear Deterrence’, Karachi Declaration reiterated the call for global nuclear disarmament, and an immediate de-alert and then destruction of all nuclear weapons by the two countries, a 25% reduction in conventional forces, and the immediate removal and an end to the use of landmines.

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On religious intolerance
“Believes that the persistence of majoritarian politics and increasing communalisation of the polity pitting one disadvantaged section against the other deprives the people of their right to self-realisation.”

Karachi Declaration pointed that without adequate protection of religious, linguistic, cultural and political minorities there can be no democracy.

“There can be no justice without granting redress to the victims of human rights abuses especially with the connivance of the state, particularly women and children, as in Gujarat.”

On Women’s Rights
“We call upon both governments to recognize the disadvantaged position of women in our countries; to count the productivity of women and their contribution to the GDP; to ensure the provision of basic minimum needs to women, particularly health, nutrition, education and employment; and, in view of the documented feminization of poverty in both our countries, to focus on rural women in poverty reduction measures. Women must be included in all government and civil society initiatives for peace.”

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The Convention demanded that the governments repeal all discriminatory anti-women laws (such as the Hudood Ordinances in Pakistan), and enact enabling legislation, especially laws on violence against women, through cross-cutting, non-partisan political processes, for women’s empowerment and gender equality.

Peoples’ Peace formula - Joint Peoples’ Committees

The Karachi Convention appointed three Peoples’ committees to look into the different issues:

a) The Joint Committee on Kashmir to arrange for and facilitate a dialogue between the people on both sides of the LOC and interact with all organisations involved in the efforts to achieve peace and democratic resolution of the Kashmir issue and ensure 50 % participation for women.

b) The Joint Committee on Peace to prepare an immediate and short-term plan for confidence building and normalcy in the region and a long-term strategy for establishing a just and durable peace in the subcontinent. For this purpose the committee will visit different parts of India and Pakistan, hold extended discussions with various sections of the society, including political parties, business community, women's groups, farmers and workers organisations and other people 's movements.

c) The Joint Committee on Minorities to deal with the issue relating to the protection of minorities and their rights in the two countries

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Post-Karachi: US pressure, Elections and the ‘Politics of Peace’

Most, if not all, of this new spirit of the governments, is also a byproduct of the US pressure. A contributory factor is the general elections. It is a historical irony that last time, in 1999, the same coalition led by BJP, won the elections by raising chauvinistic slogans against Pakistan in the wake of the Kargil conflict and this time the tactic is friendship with the same country. An added incentive will be some voting from the Muslims owing to the Pak-friendly posture.

The interest of the Bush administration, apart from keeping Pakistan in good humour, is to reduce the enmity that they have earned in the Islamic and Arab world. An additional attraction is the sizeable consumer market comprising of Indian middle class. The freer the Government is from tension on the borders, the better it would serve that class and provide greater opportunities to the US by opening up the economy to the US Multinational Corporates.

It is to the larger interest of the people of Pakistan and India that the peace process must go on, unconcerned of ‘who’ comes to power after the general elections to the Indian Parliament. Peace should not become the casualty once the elections are over. Neither India nor Pakistan can afford to go back to war mongering, or to military operations like ‘Parakram’, which not only costs the exchequer, but also affects the progress and development of the country.

(Quotes and sentences in ITALICS are reproduced from the original ‘Karachi Declaration’)

(The author, a National Committee member of PIPFPD India, is part of The Other Media – a Delhi based Human Rights group)

Word Count

Article: 1107

Total: 1245