A group of prominent citizens from India and Pakistan on Tuesday urged the prime ministers of the two countries to take steps towards restoring peace, dialogue and normalcy.
Several political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress, have reacted to reports of an open letter from 100 prominent citizens calling for resumption of dialogue and peace between India and Pakistan.
While the BJP drew a red line on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism as a precondition for any talks with the neighboring country, the Congress opposed the initiative over the Pahalgam attack last year.
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These statements come after 117 signatories urged the leaders of the two countries to take diplomatic measures, including resuming dialogue and restoring relations between the two peoples.
This development comes days after reports were issued about track two talks between the two countries in Colombo.
National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah, separatist leader Mirwaiz Omar Farooq, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, RJD MP Manoj Jha, former TMC minister and current AJUP leader Humayun Kabir were among the 61 Indian signatories of the letter, The Indian Express reported.
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Mirwaiz said that dialogue between India and Pakistan is very necessary for peace and the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “We appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to resume talks and also restore diplomatic and people-to-people relations. We also appeal to them to resolve the issues through talks,” Mirwaiz said.
Reacting to the letter, BJP leader Gaurav Vallabh said peace cannot be one-sided and water and blood cannot flow together, referring to the pending Indus Waters Treaty. “We want peace, but we will not tolerate bringing Pakistan-sponsored terrorism into our country in the name of peace. This will be considered an act of war. For the first time, a government is speaking out decisively against terrorism. We want peace, but not the kind of peace called for by parties practicing appeasement policy where we remain silent while extremism and terrorism spread in our country,” Vallabh said.
However, Congress MP Manish Tiwari does not seem to be in favor of the talks, as he pointed out instances of Pakistani aggression against India since the formation of Bangladesh. He said India’s peacemaking efforts over the past 50 years have only been met with Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attacks. “It is very unfortunate that some people have forgotten the Besaran massacre. It has only been one year, two months and eight days since innocent tourists were mercilessly slaughtered in front of their families in the name of their faith. Pakistan’s treachery, its export of terrorism against India, and its desire to take revenge on an India that is bleeding with thousands of wounds, now goes back almost five decades when we dismembered Pakistan and created a new country called Bangladesh.”
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“I am truly amazed how these eminent people can forget this history. What do you want to talk to Pakistan about? What does India want from Pakistan? The only thing India wants from Pakistan is that there should be no export of terrorism. So, under these circumstances, this vague romanticism about wanting to normalize relations with a country that was bent on creating chaos and terrorism in India is completely inexplicable, completely unfathomable. Only God knows where this is,” he said. “The pressure is coming from that invisible hand that seems to be pressuring people in India to try to normalize,” he said.
However, RJD’s Manoj Kumar Jha said Track II diplomacy is the only way to end the hypocrisy plaguing India-Pakistan relations. “There are complexities that the country faces, issues like water disputes and terrorism. We are witnessing various contradictions as well; for example, right after the Pahalgam incident, cricket matches are being played in Dubai. Isn’t this hypocrisy? The only way to avoid such hypocrisy while at the same time engaging in ‘Track Two’ diplomacy is to be clear.”
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“If you analyze the statements made by the RSS high command over the last three months, it becomes quite clear at whose request these things are happening. Therefore, the country must do its own calculations and assess its priorities. However, on people-to-people communication – music, literature, animation – we hoped that both the leaders would take steps to ease restrictions and restore communications that have been there since the time of Partition,” he said.
What did the message say?
In the letter, the group asked Prime Minister Modi and Pakistani President Shehbaz Sharif to consider various confidence building measures in this regard such as restoration of full diplomatic relations and reinstatement of high commissioners in New Delhi and Islamabad as well as resumption of normal visa services for citizens of the two countries, according to The Indian Express.
The report quoted excerpts from the message: “India and Pakistan together are home to about one-fifth of humanity. A large proportion of our population is young… The people of both countries deserve a future defined by peace, development, communication and cooperation, rather than mistrust and permanent confrontation.”
The statement added, “Decades of estrangement have hindered our collective potential and imposed significant social, economic, and human costs. We believe that sustained engagement and dialogue remain the only viable path to resolving differences and building a stable and prosperous region.”
