As part of the second gathering of Indians and Pakistanis for a Visa free and Peaceful South Asia, visiting Indian citizens join in a fast in Lahore with their Pakistani hosts. Leading up to the event, Pakistani youth had organized a program where they pledged to work for Indo-Pak peace.

Today activists of Pakistan and India, for the first time in the history of Pakistan will jointly fast (sit on hunger strike) at Lahore Press Club to demand for a South Asia in which citizens are allowed to freely move across borders of countries without any requirement of passports or visas and in which there are no dangerous weapons like nuclear weapons and land mines. We feel that only under such circumstances South Asia will get an opportunity to develop into a strong economic union which will pave the way for betterment of citizens of all countries. The precious resources now going into arms race will be spent on useful and necessary services like education and health care for all.

History proves that arms do not provide any security at all. On the other hand they increase our insecurity, further fuelling another round of arms race. True security can be derived only from a relationship based on complete mutual trust. Such is the kind of security atmosphere that we would like to create in South Asia. By creating hurdles in the way of citizens desiring to travel between Pakistan and India we violate the basic human rights of people. People have a right to travel across borders to see friends, relatives, religious places and attend events.

But a meaningless set of rules, some beyond comprehension of ordinary human beings, and arbitrary manner of decision taking subjects citizens to humiliation and harassment. This time a 12 year old girl from India Sara Jamal was given visa without her mother being given clearance to travel to Pakistan. How do we expect a 12 year old girl to travel by herself? Is there any meaning in subjecting out citizens to this mindless bureaucracy? It is time we remove all travel restrictions and allow citizens of Pakistan and India a porous border, which happens to be the most popular demand of people on both sides.

This is the second such fast in the history of the sub-continent. Last year on 9^th August, Nagasaki Day, 40 citizens from Pakistan joined their Indian counterparts to observe a one day fast at Rajghat, Mahatma Gandhi’s samadhi in New Delhi, for a visa free and peaceful South Asia. This followed the Delhi to Multan Peace March from 23^rd March to 11^th May, 2005, the first time in the history of sub-continent when Indians and Pakistanis walked together on streets of both countries to demand peace and friendship between the two countries.

On this occasion, popular singer from Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, Ghazal Srinivas has brought with him a musical album prepared by him during the India Pakistan Peace March last year. This CD called ‘Shanti Yatra’ is also being released today. We are also honoured to have amongst us today another prominent singer Seema Sehgal, originally from Jammu & Kashmir, who has produced albums on the poetry of Ali Sardar Jafri and Alama Iqbal dedicated to India Pakistan peace and friendship. We hope that musical contributions today by Seema Sehgal and Ghazal Srinivas will cement the relations between people of the two countries so that we will never go back on the path to peace.

This event was supposed to have taken place during the anniversaries of Hiroshima and Nagasaki but was delayed by bureaucracy in both countries. When the event in Lahore did not occur in August, a group of youth in Lahore organized a program on peace that included much debate, discussion, music and plans. At the end of the event, these participants passed the following resolution.

We the youth of Pakistan suggest that the following steps be taken to promote peace and prosperity in south Asia.

1. Relations among the countries of South Asia be further strengthened and the people of these countries be given full freedom to meet each other. For this, these countries should become visa-free so that the common socio-cultural and historical heritage of the region is taken forward.
2. Student exchange programs between Pakistani and Indian institutions should be encouraged by giving students and teachers of schools, colleges and universities priority in granting of visas.
3. We feel that there is a need to rewrite history from an unbiased and secular point of view. Textbooks should emphasize peace movements rather than times of war. The Sufi and Bhakti tradition should be given its due place in the history books of Pakistan and India. False ideas of nationalism bordering on fanaticism based on hatred for hindus or muslims or any religious sect should be discouraged by course books and media alike.
4. The above stated is possible only if there is peace in the region. For this, it is imperative that all countries of South Asia resolve to stop the militarization of the region. All the countries should stop any increase in their defense budgets and the expenditure on defense should be publicly transparent. The government should prioritize its budget in the interest of and for the welfare of the common man and woman.
5.  India and Pakistan should put an end to all nuclear weapons. The two countries should agree on the creation of a nuclear-weapons free zone in South Asia.
6. The youth and professionals should have free mobility and job opportunities in all the countries of South Asia.
7. The problem of Jammu and Kashmir should be resolved according to the wishes and aspirations of the people, especially the youth, of Jammu and Kashmir.
8. The role of politics in academic institutions is crucial. The positive role of students in politics should be encouraged to inculcate democratic values, build leadership and fight corruption in the political system.
9. Finally, we the youth believe in taking the peace process in our own hands. We condemn the violence and aggression perpetrated by states and support pro-people social movements in the region.

We appeal to common citizens of the sub-continent to join and strengthen the movement for a visa free and peaceful South Asia.

- contributed by Saeeda Diep & Sandeep Pandey