Sapan makes an urgent plea to India and Pakistan to stop the probable war immediately

BATHINDA: Amid the rising tensions between two neighbouring countries in the aftermath of Pahalgam attack and operation Sindoor, the Southasia Peace Action Network (Sapan) has made an urgent plea to India and Pakistan to stop the probable war immediately. In a statement, Sapan has stated “we stand in solidarity with all those categorically condemning any form of violent extremism or ‘terrorism’ and against the cowardly targeting of unarmed civilians, for any reason. The communal and toxic weaponizing of religions currently feeding frenzy in Pakistan and India amplified by media and social media, gives the illusion of a consensus for war”.The statement goes “We urge the international community to stand in solidarity with the peoples of Southasia. We call upon journalists and social media users to engage with their platforms responsibly and ethically and not fan the fires. The governments of India and Pakistan must behave responsibly. Any war between these two nuclear-armed nations would be disastrous not just for the people of those countries but for the region and for global peace”.We therefore urge the people of India and Pakistan to hold their governments accountable and resist any speech or actions that feed war hysteria. We call on all those who believe that peace, not war, is the way forward, to speak out against the politics of hate, violence, and vengeance, and to stand up for dialogue, cooperation, and a shared future of peace and co-existence", it further stated.Apart from Sapan, many other peace groups have urged the government to exercise restraint aiming to stop the skirmishes into a war. Pakistan India peoples forum for peace and democracy (PIPFPD), farmer organisations have urged the nations to turn towards dialogue.