Activists from India and Pakistan have jointly called on the leadership of both countries to resume peace talks and take concrete steps toward normalising relations, following an online meeting held on June 12.
The meeting, organised by Socialist Party India and the Centre for Peace and Secular Studies Pakistan, produced a resolution with 13 points urging both governments to act on longstanding issues.
The resolution called on Pakistan and India to revive the peace process and ensure uninterrupted dialogue, noting that Pakistan had mediated between the United States (US) and Iran while India’s prime minister was expected by some world leaders to help end the war in Ukraine making direct talks between the two neighbours all the more necessary.
Among the key demands, activists called for the reactivation of SAARC, the relaxation of travel restrictions, the reopening of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor and the resumption of the Samjhauta Express and bus services between Lahore and Delhi and Srinagar and Muzaffarabad.
The resolution also urged both sides to sign a no-war pact and to work toward creating a South Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone.
Other demands included the demilitarisation of Siachen, an end to the weaponisation of river water, the lifting of cross-border internet blockages and the replacement of the Wagah-Attari beating retreat ceremony with a friendly cross-border gathering for divided families and citizens.
The activists announced they would assemble at the Wagah-Attari border at midnight on August 14-15 and on September 21, the UN Day of Peace, to highlight the resolution’s demands.
