For Immediate Release:
Friday, June 7, 2002
Contact: Leila Salazar, 415-575-5536 or Kusum Crimmel, 510-220-1589

Rally in UN Plaza brings Bay Area Indians and Pakistanis Together in a Call for Peace

On Monday, June 10 representatives from various Indian and Pakistani community organizations‹as well as Bay Area peace and human rights organizations‹will come together for a rally at UN Plaza in San Francisco at 12 noon. Following the rally, these representatives will take a list of demands to the Indian Consulate in San Francisco. Similarly, a delegation will take the same list to the Pakistani Consulate in Los Angeles.

In response to the violence and threats of nuclear war that have erupted in South Asia in recent weeks, concerned citizens want to send a clear message to the Indian and Pakistani governments that ordinary people from both countries denounce all war, especially nuclear war. Ordinary people want peace, constructive and open dialogue between both nations and believe that the people of Kashmir have the right to self-determination.

"India and Pakistan must understand that war will not resolve the injustices of history, it will only condemn our nations further and exacerbate the very tensions that are sought to be resolved through war," said Angana P. Chatterji, a Professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. "India must stop violating the rights and lives of Kashmiris, and Pakistan must change its policy connected to Kashmir. Indian national interest must be supportive of minority rights and secularism, and separate itself from Hindu extremism. Pakistan must take seriously tasks related to the democratization of its polity. We must not support the fabric of resistance connected to the use of terror on the part of states and groups. We must take responsibility for the unjust histories through which our nations were conceived."

"A solution to the Kashmir problem is vital to restore durable peace in South Asia, says Abdus Sattar Ghazali from Pakistan American Democratic Forum. "Even if the military situation between Pakistan and India de-escalates now, there will always be a possibility of tension between the two countries unless the Kashmir problem is resolved."

"The conflict raging between India and Pakistan, the newest members of the nuclear club, demonstrates anew that the fate of our planet is at stake," according to Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director of the Western States Legal Foundation, a nuclear disarmament advocacy group in Oakland. "While U.S. officials are telling India and Pakistan that war is not an option, the U.S. is developing more useable nuclear weapons as an option in its own open-ended war against terrorism. This hypocritical 'do as we say, not as we do' posture is dangerous and destabilizing. The best way for the U.S. to help de-escalate the military standoff in South Asia is to lead by example. The U.S. should immediately declare a policy of no-first-use of nuclear weapons and initiate multilateral negotiations to eliminate nuclear weapons worldwide."

Representatives from the following organizations will be speaking on the need for both India and Pakistan to make commitments to peace, instead of war: Friends of South Asia, the Kashmir Foundation, the Pakistan American Democratic Forum, Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, Western States Legal Foundation, and Global Exchange. In addition, California Peace Action, EKTA, the Pakistan Association of San Fransico and the Community Protection Network have endorsed this event.

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We come together to say no to war and escalation of violence in S. Asia and demand the following:

1. That the Indian and Pakistani governments work towards peace and not war. The people of India and Pakistan want peace and we demand that their governments not use war as a political weapon.

2. An end to ALL violence, including violent rhetoric and threats of war. We condemn all war, particularly nuclear war.

3. That Pakistan and India devote their resources to human needs and to ending social injustices, not on armaments and military expansion.

4. A de-escalation of the military build-up and war rhetoric.

5. A constructive and open dialogue between peoples and governments. Governments should resume political and diplomatic negotiations immediately and re-open communication lines between the peoples of India, Pakistan and Kashmir.

6. The people of Kashmir have the right to self-determination.

7. No U.S. military intervention. The U.S. should lead by example by immediately declaring a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons and initiating multilateral negotiations on the rapid elimination of nuclear weapons worldwide.

8. The United Nations should act to foster dialogue and negotiation between India and Pakistan and a de-escalation of violence and war rhetoric.