The Resolutions

• 1st Convention New Delhi Resolution
• 2nd Convention Lahore Resolution
• 3rd Convention Calcutta Resolution
• 4th Convention Peshawar Resolution
• 5th Convention Bangalore Resolution
• 6th Convention Karachi Resolution
• 7th Convention New Delhi Resolution

RESOLUTIONS

The Resolutions/ Reccomandations adopted by the plenum of Pakistan-India Peoples' Convention on Peace and Democracy were as below:

A. Resolutions/ Reccomendations on War, Demilitarization, Peace and Peace Dividends

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? There should be no resort to war to resolve bilateral disputes.

? India and Pakistan should take steps for a mutual and balanced reduction of conventional forces and move systematically towards maximum transparency in regard to force levels, deployments, programmes, exercises, etc.

? Both countries should restrain nuclear preparations and move towards regional disarmament independent of the control of other Nuclear Weapons States as well as participating in and promoting all efforts regarding the crucial issue of global nuclear disarmament.

? India and Pakistan should conclude their own Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty without waiting for a global treaty.

? The Nuclear Weapons States must accede to a treaty on "No First Use" of nuclear weapons and to a commitment on "No Use Ever" against non-nuclear weapons states.

? All states must commit themselves to cease production of additional fissile materials for nuclear weapons and other explosive purposes.

? Pakistan-India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy should encourage scientists from both countries to come together to formulate perspectives which will make the governments of India and Pakistan responsive to the above objectives.

? The Forum should also encourage the establishment and sponsorship of groups of artists, professionals, trade unionists, women, etc. to facilitate various citizen's initiatives (such as a simultaneous peace march in the two countries) so as to promote and create a climate of opinion for the pursuit of the stated objectives.
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? The Forum should request the human rights organisations of India and Pakistan to declare that the pursuit of nuclear weapons and the threat of their use are in violation of human rights, in particular the right to life without fear, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

B. Resolutions/ Recommendations on Kashmir

? The two governments should recognise that Kashmir is not merely a territorial dispute between India and Pakistan but concerns the lives and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir on both sides of the Line of Control (LOC).

? What is required is a peaceful democratic solution which involves the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Such a solution is essential for promoting peace in the subcontinent.

? The governments of India and Pakistan must take positive steps to promote peace and tranquility and establish democratic process in Jammu and Kashmir on both sides of the LOC so that preconditions are created for moving towards a just people-based solution.

? The Forum appeals to all human rights organisations and people's movements in India and Pakistan to mobilise public opinion to exercise pressure on their respective governments

a)in India to stop violation of human rights in Jammu and Kashmir and

b) in Pakistan to take all possible measures to stop the supply of arms by all forces which lead to violations of human rights of the civilian population of Jammu and Kashmir.

C. Resolutions/Recommendations Religious Intolerance in India and Pakistan

? Citizens' organisations should put constant pressure on both governments to reduce harassment of ordinary people and grant visas with greater ease and reduce the costs of telecommunication and postal exchange between the two countries.

? The legislative, judicial and executive organs of the state in both countries should be free from religious influence and diktats.

? The Forum should disseminate, in whatever fashion possible, the alternate voices from Pakistan and India to combat the misinformation and propaganda perpetrated by governments and sections of the media.

? Easy access to information on secular, democratic struggles and initiatives across the border should be promoted.

? Removal of myths and prejudices perpetuated in our respective education systems, especially in the social sciences, is a vital step in this direction.

? Education in religious institutions must include a secular curriculum. This is vital to inculcate a spirit of openness and enquiry.

? Information on the strategies adopted by communal and fundamentalist ideologies - specifically how they feed on the stereotypical and demonising images of the "other" - also need to be shared on a regular basis.

? Pakistan-India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy should facilitate a free exchange of journals and information on various subjects.

? This could be a first step towards jointly prepared resource books, pamphlets and other literature compiled on the basis of shared information.

? Reforms in the discriminatory personal laws being the common need for women in both Pakistan and India, joint strategies should be worked out towards this objective on the basis of pooled experiences.

? Setting up of an alternate people-to-people television channel that produces joint documentaries, plays and telefilms to counter the hostility generated between the two countries.

? Thousands of letters must be exchanged between India and Pakistan every week to pressurise governments to open up channels of communication and telecommunication.

D. Resolutions/ Recommendations on Governance

? Demilitarization of domestic governance in both countries must begin with reducing the oppressive role of the police and the militain dealing with democratic movements, repealing anti-democratic laws and restoring law and order to protect the common citizens.

? Democratization of domestic governance by strengthening the institutions of a federal nature, moving towards greater decentralization of power, increasing the accountability of politicians to the people, empowering civil society vis-a-vis the State, through which people become the principal actors in decision-making.
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? Both governments must pay serious attention to breaking up the politician-criminal nexus and reactivate the institutions to deliver justice to the citizens.

? Both Governments must undertake not to foment the forces of hatred and animosity that are currently at work in the two countries which aggravate tensions between the two.

? Both Governements must urgently work to withdraw visa restrictions so that citizens of the two countries can invite each other and also travel without restrictions. The goal must be to achieve freedom of movement of people, information and service between the two countries by a fixed deadline.

? Existing direct and indirect trade relations must be formally recognised and enhanced.

? State-controlled media should be given more autonomy and made accountable to the people.

? That a vigilance group of citizens, able to move freely across the borders, should be set up in order to monitor violations by the border forces of both countries. An important case in point is that of the fisherfolk of both countries who are periodically detained by the coastguards of Pakistan and India for the so-called violation of the "economic zone", which is yet to be marked by the two Governments.

? The right to livelihood and basic needs and social security be central to governance.
Resolutions/ Recommendations on Mobilisation of Public Opinion
? One day peace meet to be held simultaneously in both countries.

? February 24 and 25 to be observed as Pakistan-India Peoples Solidarity Day.

? Enlarging the support base for the peace movement by involving other organisations.

? Regular meetings in all states/provinces of Pakistan and India on issues discussed at the New Delhi Convention.

? Publication of campaign materials and literature on the peace movement and other on-going struggles for democracy, demilitarisation and for the empowerment of the common people in Pakistan and India.

? Sectorwise collective programmes and joint actions to keep up the momentum generated by the convention, e.g. Pakistan-India womens, caucus.

? Organising joint cultural programmes to strengthen the process of common understanding.
It was declared that all the delegates who participated in the New Delhi Convention are the founder members of the Pakistan-India Peoples' Forum for Peace and Democracy. In Pakistan and India the Forum should form national and regional bodies. However, there should be a Joint Pakistan-India Council of the Forum comprising members elected/nominated by the national level bodies of both countries. This Council shall be the policy planning body and recommend joint programmes to be taken up by the Forum.
It was also decided that in October 1995 a second Pakistan-India Peoples' Convention be held in Pakistan. At the second convention, in addition to the four issues already discussed in Delhi, additional issues like business and trade relations, cooperation between human rights organisations, trade unions, ecologists and environmentalists should be taken up.

Resolutions/ Reccomendations On Science and Technology

1. An Indo-Pak Association of Scientists and Technologists must be formed.

2. The governments of the two countries must:
? Allow free exchange of published scientific literature
? Allow scientists to communicate with each other
? c)Organise meetings of scientists of the two countries on trans-border problems
? Establish a joint commission for cooperation in science and technology

Resolutions/Recommendations On Kashmir :

? Kashmir is not merely a territorial dispute btween India and Pakistan but concerns the lives and aspirations of people of Jammu and Kashmir living on both sides of the LOC.

? What is required is a peaceful, democratic solution which involves the peoples of Jammu and Kashmir. Such a solution is essential for promoting peace in the subcontinent.

? The governments of India and Pakistan must take positive steps to promote peace and tranquility and establish democratic process in Jammu and Kashmir on both sides of the LOC, so that pre-conditions are created for moving towards a just, people-based solution.

? Ending hostilities between India and Pakistan will enable both India and Pakistan to build more tolerant and just societies. Religious intolerance poses a serious threat to peace and stability.

? Religious intolerance and hatred among ordinary people in civil society also exists and needs to be tackled.
a) Removal of myths and prejudices perpetuated in our respective educational systems, especially in the social sciences, is a vital step in this direction.
b) Information on the strategies adopted by communal and fundamentalist ideologies needs to be shared through a regular newsletter.

? Reform in the discriminatory personal laws being the common need for women in both Pakistan and India joint strategies should be worked out on the basis of pooled experiences.

? There should be no resort to war to resolve bilateral disputes.

? India and Pakistan should take steps for a mutual and balanced reduction of conventional forces and move systematically towards maximum transparency in regard to force levels and deployments.

? Both countries should restrain nuclear preparations and move towards regional disarmament independent of the control of other Nuclear Weapons States, as well as participating in and promoting all efforts regarding the crucial issue of global nuclear disarmament.

? India and Pakistan should conclude their own comprehensive test ban treaty without waiting for a global treaty.

? The Nuclear Weapon States must accede to a treaty on "no first use" of nuclear weapons and "no use ever" against non-nuclear weapon states.

? All states must commit themselves to cease production of additional fissile materials for nuclear weapons and other explosive purposes.

? Both governments must urgently work to withdraw visa restrictions so that the citizens of the two countries can invite each other and also travel without restrictions.

? Communication and telecommunications barriers should be removed and the cost of exchanges between the two countries must be rationalised.

? That a vigilance group of citizens, able to freely move across the border and monitor violations by border forces of both countries should be set up to ameliorate hardship of ordinary working people caught in the web of national conflicts (e.g. a few hundred fisher folk from both India and Pakistan are at present languishing in prisons.)