ACHA PEACE BULLETIN
http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/ACHAPeaceBulletin
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A publication of Association for Communal
Harmony in Asia (ACHA)
www.asiapeace.org & www.indiapakistanpeace.org
Editor:
Pritam K. Rohila, PhD asiapeace@comcast.net
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Volume XI, No. 8,
______________________________________________________________________________
CONTENTS
HAPPY
Please be
sure to sign
Petition of Apology
to the Victims of Partition-related Violence in 1947
at
www.indiapakistanpeace.org
EDITORIAL
*39 Days of Peace, Pritam K. Rohila, Ph.D.
PEACE & HARMONY
EVENTS
*On-going:
*September 4, Springs,
*December
1-2,
PEACE & HARMONY
FELLOWSHIPS
*Senior
Fellowships in the U. S. Institute of Peace
PEACE & HARMONY REPORTS
*July
12,
*August
5, Toba
PEACE & HARMONY
RESOURCES
*Raah Aman Ki,
PEACE & HARMONY WEBSITES
*www.worldpeacetech.com
PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN
UPDATE
*Peace Jirga
declaration, Daily times,
SRI LANKA UPDATE
*Learning
once again from the past to bring peace to the east, Jehan
Perera
PEACE & HARMONY
NEWS
______________________________________________________________________________
EDITORIAL
*39 Days of Peace, Pritam K. Rohila, Ph.D.
There
are 39 days between the Pakistan Independence Day on August 14 and the
International Day of Peace on September 21.
Staring
this year, we at the Association for Communal Harmony in Asia (ACHA) are set to
recognize them as “39 Days of Peace,” and urge YOU to join us in our effort to
promote peace between
On each of these 39 days, we urge you to personally engage in an act of peace and harmony at your home, work, neighborhood or community. Also you and your friends (and/or family) can read aloud one Affirmative Statement of Peace and Harmony, everyday from the list reproduced below.
Please send us a brief report about what you did, along with a couple of digital pictures. We will include your report and pictures in the Reports section of our www.indiapakistanpeace.org website.
“39 Days of Peace” is one of two core elements of our India-Pakistan Peace Day 2007 campaign.
The other core element this year is our Petition of Apology to the Victims of the Partition-related Violence in 1947. Contents of the petition are reproduced below. Also it can be accessed and signed at www.indiapakistanpeace.org
As you know, in the frenzy of communal violence around the Partition, about 15 million people were forced to leave their homes. One-half to one million individuals lost their lives. Most were massacred. Many women committed suicide to protect their honor or due to shame of their dishonor. Several people could not withstand the rigors of the forced migration.
Yet no one has so far accepted responsibility for these heinous crimes against humanity. No one has been prosecuted for these acts of naked violence.
The least we can do is to empathize with and apologize to the victims and survivors of this bleak period in the South Asian history.
We hope you will you join us in this long-delayed effort by signing our Petition at www.indiapakistanpeace.org
Do not hesitate to contact us at asiapeace@comcast.net if you have a concern, question or comment about this project.
PEACE & HARMONY EVENTS
*On-going:
A
large collage of all the messages will be printed on a life-size poster and
presented to the Prime-ministers of
*September 4, Springs,
*December 1-2, Islamabad, Pakistan: INDIA-PAKISTAN RELATIONS: PROSPECTS
AND CHALLENGES aims to analyze the significant issue pertaining to peace
building in South Asia, with particular reference to the on-going peace dialogue
between India and Pakistan, at Preston
University, Islamabad. Registration fee is Rs. 1,000.
More info from Dr. Sohail Mahmood, Preston University, 85, Street 3, H-8/1, Islamabad
- 44000, Pakistan, Phone: +92 51 111-707-808 (office); Fax: 092- 051-4430648, Cell:
+92 345 511 79 21, E-Mail: mahmood.sohail@gmail.com
PEACE & HARMONY FELLOWSHIPS
*September 17 is the last date
for submission of applications for Senior Fellowships in the Jennings Randolph Fellowship Program
of the U. S. Institute of Peace for the 2008-2009, in
PEACE & HARMONY REPORTS
*July
12,
The
Presbyterian Education Board in Pakistan (PEB) organized an interfaith seminar
titled ‘Transforming the World by Building Bridges’ at the Lahore Press Club.
Speakers at the seminar were: Sardar Sham Singh (Tamgha-e-Imtiaz) and Hindu Council (
*August 5, , Toba
Students sang peace songs, played peace-building games, and
made speeches at Making Commitment for Peace, a program held today at St.
Peter’s High School, Toba Tek
Singh. They are attending the two-month Youth Formation Camp here since June
22. They are from local and many far
flung areas of
Youth leader Karishma Samuel invited young boys and girls to make their
commitment to peace by lighting a peace candle. Each one who made the
commitment received a peace band.
As a part of their
commitment the students will participants in the following programs:
1. Planting peace banners, posters, slogans and trees shall in three Toba Tek Singh parks,
August 7-13
2.
Remembering the victims of
3. Signing the Petition of Apology to the Victims of Partition-related Violence in 1947 as
a part of the celebration of Pakistan Independence Day on
August 14. The theme of this year’s celebration is Responsibilities of
Pakistanis to make
4.
Making phone calls and sending email messages praying for peace in
5. Sharing of memories, on his birthday, with Dr. Bonnie Mendes, recipient of the 2005
ACHA Star Award for Peace
6. Participating in India-Pakistan Peace
Festival, August 12-17
7. Participating in the ACHA’s 39 Days of Peace program by reading aloud one of the
statements
affirming peace and harmony on each of the 39 Days from Pakistan’s Independence
Day on August 14, and ending on International of Day of Peace on September 21
8. Making a peace symbol, poster, or image, one for each statement affirming peace and
harmony for use on 39 Days of Peace. These products will be
displayed in an exhibition on International of Day of Peace on September 21
9. Participating in the Role of the Youth and the United Nations in World Peace program
to be organized as a
part of the celebration of International of Day
of Peace on September
21
10.
Writing letters to young people in the
PEACE & HARMONY RESOURCES
*Raah Aman Ki, Two DVD set of 16 Lectures on Peace and
Conflict Resolution
The lectures comprising
this DVD-set open new vistas of peace and harmony and
throw light understanding the causes of communal violence and hatred. They also
elaborate the strategies for intervention for striving towards a society with
justice and peace.
Priced at Rs 300 (US Dollars 30 UK Pounds 20) for institutions, and Rs 200 (US Dollars 20 UK Pounds 15) for Individuals,
the DVD-set is available from the Center for Study of Society and Secularism, 602
Silver Star, Prabhat Colony, Santa Cruz (E) Near Bus
Depot 400055, Phone 91 22 26149668, email csss@mtnl.net.in
PEACE & HARMONY WEBSITES
*www.worldpeacetech.com The website is created to network all the peace organizations of the world so that peace ideas are deliberated upon on specific solution to different kinds of peace problems. According to the organization, “The world is ONE- The humanity is ONE- The peace is ONE- which call for the peace organizations to fight unitedly to kill the monster of violence at all levels for ushering an era of sustainable peace.”
PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN UPDATE
*Peace Jirga
declaration, Daily times,
To reaffirm and further strengthen the resolve of two
brotherly countries to bring sustainable peace in the region, the Afghan-Pak
Joint Peace Jirga was convened in Kabul, Afghanistan
from August 9 to August 12, 2007 as a result of an initiative taken by the
presidents of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Islamic Republic of
Pakistan on September 27, 2006.
This was the first historic event of its kind that opened a
channel of people-to-people dialogue in which around 700 people including
members of the parliaments, political parties, religious scholars, tribal
elders, provincial councils, civil society and business community of both
countries participated.
The inaugural session was addressed by Hamid
Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of
Afghanistan and Shauket Aziz,
Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The concluding session of
the Joint Peace Jirga was addressed by Hamid Karzai, President of the
Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and General Pervez
Musharraf, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
The main recommendations made by the first Joint Peace Jirga are summarised as follows:
1. The Joint Peace Jirga strongly recognises
the fact that terrorism is a common threat to both countries and the war on
terror should continue to be an integral part of the national policies and
security strategies of both countries. The participants of this jirga unanimously declare to an extended, tireless and
persistent campaign against terrorism and further pledge that government and
people of
2. The Joint Peace Jirga resolved
to constitute a smaller Jirga consisting of 25
prominent members from each side that is mandated to strive to achieve the following
objectives:
a. Expedite the ongoing process of
dialogue for peace and reconciliation with
opposition.
b. Holding of regular meetings in
order to monitor and oversee the mplementation
of
the decisions/recommendations of the Joint Peace Jirga.
c. Plan and facilitate convening of
the next Joint Peace Jirgas.
d. Both countries will appoint 25
members each in the committee.
3. The Joint Peace Jirga once again
emphasises the vital importance of brotherly
relations in pursuance of policies of mutual respect, non-interference and
peaceful coexistence and recommends further expansion of economic, social, and
cultural relations between the two countries.
4. Members of the Joint Peace Jirga
in taking cognisance of the nexus between narcotics
and terrorism condemn the cultivation, processing and trafficking of poppy and
other illicit substances and call upon the two governments to wage an all out
war against this menace. The Jirga takes note of the
responsibilities of the international community in enabling
5. The governments of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and
Islamic Republic of Pakistan, with the support of the international community,
should implement infrastructure, economic and social sector projects in the
affected areas.
6. The comprehensive and important recommendations made by
the five working committees of the Joint Peace Jirga
for implementation are attached as annexure and form part and parcel of this
joint declaration.
SRI LANKA UPDATE
*Learning once again from the past to bring peace to the
east, Jehan Perera jehanpc@sltnet.lk
The alliance between the breakaway faction of the ruling party (SLFP M) headed by former minister Mangala Samaraweera and the UNP has re-energised opposition politics. The large show of strength at the inaugural meeting of the new alliance last week has caused anxiety in the government. A government response is to conduct celebrations throughout the country to keep alive patriotic sentiment in the aftermath of its military victory over the LTTE in the east. By itself this is unlikely to assuage the hunger for economic progress and normalcy in the lives of the majority of the electorate. The most recent increase in the price of petrol and cooking fuel, and the continuing reports of military encounters and associated costs of war, are an indicator of the difficulties that need to be overcome.
This time of political flux and violence is an opportune one for reflecting on the past. The month of July in particular holds special significance on account of two events of momentous significance. The first is that it marks the 24th anniversary of the July riots of 1983. Most commentators consider the war for Eelam to have commenced with that anti-Tamil pogrom. In the context of the present government’s emphasis on Sinhalese nationalism, there was limited reference to these events that finally convinced the Tamil polity in the country that separation was the answer to their terrible plight. The presence of war and a dispirited Tamil polity offered little space for even civil society to publicly mourn the past.
The second
momentous event that took place in July was the signing, two decades ago, of
the Indo Lanka Peace Accord in July 1987. Prior to this landmark agreement,
the main hope of Tamil nationalists and militants alike was that
The indications on the ground at the present time are that the LTTE is fighting a rearguard action on behalf of a cause that has diminished relevance to a generation of younger of Tamils whose aspirations for the future lie elsewhere. The departure of the LTTE is also a relief to many people in the east who, despite retaining their desire for equal rights and autonomy, feared above all losing their children to forced conscription.
I formed these impressions during a five day visit to the three districts of the east last week in the company of several leading journalists. The areas we covered included the Mutur and Vakarai areas. These are names which have been in the news in recent months in view of the major battles fought there between the government forces and the LTTE to gain control of them on account of their strategic importance.
Continuing Legacy
The Indo
Lanka Peace Accord was signed by the leaders of the two countries to establish
a sustainable political solution. It envisaged a new political framework
of devolved power for the provinces, the merger of the Northern and Eastern
provinces, the disarming of the LTTE and the meeting of Indian foreign policy
imperatives in relation to
The present provincial council system that is operative in the country is today the sole remaining legacy of the Indo Lanka Peace Accord. If it had been implemented properly in law and in spirit it could have provided the basis for a sustainable political solution as envisaged by its architects. It could have saved the country at least 50,000 lives and led to an economy that could have generated an income stream for the people that is double that of today. Unfortunately, from the very beginning, the Indo Lanka Peace Accord was highly contested, with only a section of the government supporting it, and the LTTE and most of the mainstream political opposition parties opposed to it.
The problem
with the Indo Lanka Peace Accord was that it attempted to achieve too many
controversial objectives in too short a time. There was no consultation
with the main actors or information supplied to the population at
large. Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa and National
Security Minister Lalith Athulathmudali
were two prominent dissenters from the agreement. The LTTE was informed
but not consulted, and muscled into the process, and no one else was either
consulted or informed. It did not take long before the agreement began to
unravel. Not even the might of the regional superpower, that had
stationed its battleships within sight of
The desire
for solutions that are imposed on others by virtue of superior power is a
continuing saga in
Not Sustainable
There is no denying that the government has been more successful than anticipated in taking the military battle to the LTTE and forcing them to retreat. On the other hand, the Indo Lanka Peace Accord shows the danger of giving priority to imposed solutions in the resolution of long standing disputes such as the ethnic conflict. Today in the east, all the LTTE’s political offices in the east have been closed, and most of them have been replaced by cadres of the Karuna group who work in collaboration with the government. Their multi coloured streamers flutter in the wind on the streets on which their offices are located. Karuna cadres also stand as the eyes of the security forces to tell them if there is LTTE infiltration back into the east. It would seem to be an uphill task for the LTTE to stage a comeback into the areas they have lost.
But this was
also the situation two decades ago when the Indian Peace Keeping Force cleared
the LTTE out of the east. In place of the LTTE, the Indian decision
makers put the EPRLF to govern the east, and even had an election carried out
to legitimise the new dispensation. But this
reconfiguration of power was not sustainable and it collapsed with the IPKF’s withdrawal from
On the last day of our stay in the east, we stopped briefly at the Uganthai Kovil (Hokanda Devale) in the Pottuvil area. Devotees from the east go to this temple on their way to Kataragama. They believe that Lord Murugan and his consort Valli, lived here for a while before settling down in Kataragama. Crowds of devotees were visible in the temple and on the road. The temple officials informed us that this year they expected 20,000 devotees for the festival, as against 13,000 last year. They attributed this increase to the greater sense of security that the people felt following the end of the battles for the east.
It appeared
that at least in this southernmost point of the
In the east
there is a vast reservoir of grievance that can once again lead to an LTTE come
back in the east unless the government comes up with a hearts and minds
strategy, the likes of which Sri Lanka is yet to see. The urgent need
today, as it has been for the past two decades, is for a viable political
package that can meet with Tamil aspirations, a whole hearted reconstruction programme for the north and east, and a genuine willingness
to engage in peace talks with the LTTE. Unfortunately, the present
government has not yet been able to even make a start on any one of these three
essentials for sustainable peace.
PEACE & HARMONY NEWS
*India - Pakistan Peace Messages www.ifood.tv/goodwill
Chintan
Patel and Sharib Khan invite
people to express their goodwill toward
A large collage of all the
messages will be printed on a life-size poster and presented to the
Prime-ministers of
More info from Chintan Patel at chintanop@gmail.com
or www.ifood.tv/goodwill
*Pak frees
Indian fishermen, Hindu,
*Pak
for anti-terror talks after polls, The News,
*Musharraf, Karzai to end
mistrust, The News,
*BD: Moeen against army’s role in
politics, New Age,
*India-Lanka power link proposed, Daily News,
*PaK writers interact with Kashmiri
writers, Mudashir Ali, Greater Kashmir, Aug 11,
http://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=11_8_2007&ItemID=9&cat=1
*
*Indo-Pak efforts to end sea violations, Daily Times,
*
*Stage being set for Cross-LoC
trade, Greater Kashmir,
*Indo-Pak tennis duo on winning streak, Indian Express,
*
*Himachal
(
*Indo-Bangla sharing of Teesta water, New Age,
*
*
*
http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/aug/03agn.htm
*
*Lanka: Guns go silent for Madhu
feast, Nation,
*
*Musharraf vows to end extremism, Jang,
*Dhaka, Delhi to make anti-terror set up, New Age, Saturday, August 04,2007
http://www.southasianmedia.net/index_story.cfm?id=412947&category=Frontend&Country=MAIN
*Pak proposes free trade across LoC, Hindu,
*Eco-tourists
take to Little
*Afghan women soccer to play against Pak, Daily Times,
*Naga truce on, but with
talks rider, The Telegraph,
*
*Indo-Bangla border people
for harmony, Daily Pioneer,
*Lankan who hit Rajiv
sells Indian music, Telegraph India, Tuesday, July
31,2007 http://www.southasianmedia.net/index_story.cfm?id=411613&category=Frontend&Country=MAIN
*
*
*
*
*
*
*SAARC nations moot financing women, Economic
Times,
*Civil society for observer status: Saarc, Dawn,
*Kashmiris take to soccer for relief, Suhail Ahmed, Kashmir News,
*Lanka:'Political
consensus emerging for peace,' Daily News,
*
*Musharraf greets new Indian President Indian
Express
*Indian forces being relocated in Kashmir, Daily Times, Wednesday, July 25,2007 http://www.southasianmedia.net/index_story.cfm?id=410003&category=Frontend&Country=MAIN
*Hope
for peace as HNLC chief surrenders, Indian Express,
*India: Madam President for inclusive growth, PTI,
*
*Hizbul and J&K Chief Minister Condemn Attack
on Hindu Devotees, Fayaz Wani,
Daily News, July 23, 2007, kashmir_news@yahoo.com
*Ancient Kulgam shrine reopens after 17 years in S. Kashmir, kashnet Digest Number 2919,
*
*
*Indo-Bangla chamber makes
debut THE
DAILY STAR |
*Pakistan-Sri Lanka to strengthen ties DAILY NEWS |
*Indo-Bhutan power project gets govt
nod DAILY INDIA |
*
*Jude Law in
*Kashmiri Pandit children visit
*Enlightened
*NWFP forms jirga to talk
to militants DAILY TIMES |
*Relations with
*LoC should be
converted into Line of Peace: Manmohan, PTI
*