It was a shining night when a huge gathering of peoples from different regions of the world attended the opening WSF ceremony launched at Sports complex on Kashmir Road. Javed Soz Halai reports on WSF2006, Karachi

Though world Social Forum has many critics but there was meaning when a Thari woman, Lalee, freed from bonded labor, expressed that this mega event is for amplifying our voice – we who are been neglected our whole life at all places. Her voice was full with hope and she was looking enthusiastic.

World Social Forum was platform for speeding collaborative movements against globalization and imperialism, because after the down falling of Communisms and socialist state and movements of Soviet Union, new block of imperialist mindset countries have grown and become stronger. They are making their roots in countries in transition to capture their natural resources. Networks of multinational companies are booming strong in the developing countries Such as India, Pakistan, and Nairobi, Thailand, Philippine, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka.

This was unique opportunity for the people those countries to discuss with each other, their problems, and build alliances to work together for confronting different threats and combating the new challenges of WTO, globalization, peace and conflict transformation. These problems lead to extreme level of poverty in a country in transition facing other social problems especially violations of gender and human rights. World Social Forum had provided an opportunity to marginalized segments of society who are badly affected by all above discussed issues to voice their concerns.

“This event has an opportunity to unite peoples of diverse areas specially will helpful to pace building process between India and Pakistan which is also a problem in the region”. Aslam Khawja a Peace activist from Pakistan said, addressing the diversity of WSF2006. Telephonic conferences were organized by the efforts of Aslam Khawja and Ramnik Mohan, a peace activist of India between the children of Hyderabad, Karachi with the children of Ahmadabad and Rohtak, India. Children of both countries shared their views; children of India also asked questions n from the children of Pakistan about the WSF.

Children Fayaz, Huma, Muneeba and Bilal from Hyderabad, Sindh, shared that they were enjoying the events at Karachi, and were learning a lot about the different cultures of the people from all over Asia. WSF 2006 was facilitating interactions amongst people working in similar areas.

Many organizations were promoting peace activities through cultural processes. A huge gathering was enjoying the Conference of Kabeer, a legend poet of South Asia, a sign of peace and humanity. Singers from both countries were remembering Kabeer by his poetry and Dohas, audiences were moved in the ecstasy of the feelings. Peoples and singers were relating this event to making Indo-Pak relations better. “This is really a nice process towards making new world where every person has protected with his basic rights to enjoy his life without any cultural, religious, race and ethnic and gender differences”: Niaz Mohammad, a young person belongs with a youth organization in Sindh, shared withy me.

Peoples were shouting against globalization, military actions in the regions including in present in Balochistan through demos, rallies. Indus Valley Theatre, a network of the theatre groups of Sindh performed theatres against WTO, violence against women, Honor Killing, Globalization, water of Shortage in Sindh. Social Activists from India Sandeep Panday, Bipan Rai , Ramnik Mohan, Shabnam Virmani shared the social movements and their existence among the peoples.

These efforts were showing spirit for making a new world with a new vision. WSF is preparation of an alternate socio-political system in those countries for combating the globalization, WTO and other socio-economic challenges confronting by them. May be that new world is not possible in current time but in future, participants from all people and peace lover movements, organizations and individual had a hope and dream and vision of new world.

Global actions are needed to combat the globalization and its harmful effects on poor and weaker segments of the society. This was a question in the mind of many peoples for making WSF plate form in actual strong movements against capitalism, imperialism and WTO. “Peoples are afraid of government for raising their voice for getting basic human rights but here we saw confidence among the people and their voice has broken the wall of silence.” These were words of Smeeta, a women activist of Karachi with a new ray of hope of change.

Javed Soz Halai is a social, human rights and peace activist working in Sindh Pakistan and can be contacted: javedsozhalaiATyahooDOTcom

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