Jammu, September 11 (Scoop News)- Expressing grave concern over the escalation of tensions at the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir State ,JK chapter of the Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) has urged both the governments of India and Pakistan to take immediate steps to put an end to hostilities and resume the process of composite dialogue for resolving all their outstanding disputes including that of Jammu and Kashmir for peace in the region and welfare of the people.
The PIPFPD also expressed its serious concern over the incidents of communal violence in Kishtwar and demanded a high level probe to bring the culprits to book.
Resolutions to this effect were passed in the meeting of the State chapter of PIPFPD here today. Prof Zahoor-ud-Din President of the State chapter presided. Also present in the meeting was Ved Bhasin, Co-chair of the Indian chapter of PIPFPD.
Expressing concern over the loss of lives of the soldiers as well as civilians in these border clashes the resolution said that the leadership of the two countries must take immediate steps to bring back peace and ensure that the ceasefire agreement was strictly observed by the troops on both sides. The two governments must impress upon their respective defence forces to desist from this continuum of shelling and firing incidents.
The J&K Chapter of the PIPFPD fully endorsed the following appeal issued by the peace and human rights actists and concerned citizens on both sides of the LoC and called upon the people of J&K to unitedly desist all moves for escalating the conflict and subverting the peace process by hawks and war-mongers in the polity and establishments of the two countries.
PIPFPD expressed grave concern at the loss of lives of the soldiers and any casualties to civilians on both the sides. They also concerned about the safety and security of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the people living with the close vicinity of the LoC, who are directly hit by sporadic incidents of shelling and firing.
These repeated violations of the ceasefire that have been in place as part of an agreement between India and Pakistan since 2003 have been adversely affecting the lives of the people in the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir. Besides, there is a potential danger of reversing the gains of this biggest confidence building measure that has enabled and facilitated interactions, howsoever symbolic, between the two sides of the divided State, provided security and a conducive atmosphere for much needed development for the people living in the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir. Besides, these tensions threaten the very framework of peace for which a 10 year long ceasefire at the LoC has been a great bulwark, even though the pace of peace process has been so far tardy and does not fully engages with the people of this State.
We fear that if these tensions at the LoC are allowed to prolong, they will compromise the goodwill that has been built and reverse the peace dividends. We also fear that they will cause massive sufferings to the people of not just the border areas, but eventually of the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir, on both sides. Besides, they will provide a greater space to extremist, hawkish and fanatic elements as well as empower the war mongers on both sides. They also have the potential of ushering the whole region into a new war destroying hopes of long term peace and economic stability.
“We deplore the war rhetoric and attempts by political or religious groups for symbolism of Kashmir to justify war mongering and hatred.
At the same time, we call for an immediate end to the hostilities on the Line of Control. We call upon the political leadership in New Delhi and Islamabad to impress upon their respective militaries to immediately desist from this continuum of shelling and firing incidents. We also call upon them to initiate action to begin immediate dialogue for a more long term end to these ongoing tensions, to restore the sanctity of the ceasefire that has been in place since 2003 by replacing strategic insecurities of the two militaries with mutual trust and co-operation.”
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