Public speakers, rights activists, and students of various universities joined a rally outside the Lahore Press Club in Lahore under the banner of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) for People’s Rights, and demanded peace in the South Asian region with a big no to war.
Carrying placards and banners, the participants voiced opposition to escalating tensions and demanded diplomatic efforts to ensure lasting peace between Pakistan and India. They expressed concern at the war mongering attitude, bringing the South Asian region at the brink of war. The protesters raised slogans of ‘no to war, and yes to peace. People from different walks of life joined the rally.
Addressing the gathering, former Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) chairperson Hina Jilani urged Pakistan and India to avoid escalation of war, and pointed out that majority of population on both sides of the border were suffering under the weight of economic deprivation. She suggested people-to-people contact as war hysteria would only strengthen extremists. All the participants condemned the attack on Indian tourists in mountainous Pahalgam area of disputed Jammu Kashmir region and loss of lives, saying that the governments in Islamabad and New Delhi should act responsibly and avoid direct confrontation.
Speaking with Risala Today, Center for Peace & Secular Studies founder Saeeda Diep – recipient of Nirmala Deshpandey Award from the Gandhi Global Family, and Peace Award from the Gandhi Peace Foundation – urged people in Pakistan and India to promote narratives of peace and ensure that bridges were not replaced by walls. “We must support every movement and every activity of peace and peaceful coexistence.” She called the recent escalation in tensions deeply concerning.
“At a time when our region is already grappling with multiple challenges, the prospect of further hostility is something the people on both sides of the border simply cannot afford,” she said. She said that war or war-like conditions bring nothing but devastation, loss, and prolonged suffering to ordinary citizens who yearn for peace, stability, and dignity. “We strongly condemn the terrorist attacks, as such acts of violence are unacceptable and must be thoroughly investigated.”
“I want to suggest here that perpetrators should be brought to justice through legal and transparent means. However, collective punishment must be avoided at all costs,” she said, adding that the people of Pakistan and India must not be held hostage to the actions of a few. She said that peace-loving individuals, communities, and civil society actors on both sides have been putting in tireless efforts for decades to foster understanding and build better relationships.
“Every time, such an act of violence occurs, it pulls us back to zero—undoing years of bridge-building and eroding the fragile hope of reconciliation,” Saeeda Diep said. She pointed out towards divided families across the border whose lives were already marked by separation and longing. She said that further restrictions on visas and cross-border engagement would only deepen their pain and distance. “We must resist the urge to respond to violence with hatred and instead double down on our commitment to peace, dialogue, and mutual understanding,” she said.
Analyst Imtiaz Alam urges Islamabad and New Delhi to stop threatening each other with war
Speaking on the occasion, journalist and analyst Imtiaz Alam urged Islamabad and New Delhi to stop threatening each other with war. He suggested that Pakistan and India have to adopt a common strategy against terrorism. He said that the proxy wars push the South Asian region towards further instability. He said that people on both sides of the border must work for peace and peaceful coexistence and avoid war hysteria. In a statement, the Joint Action Committee said fanning jingoism and announcing reciprocal steps would destabilize the region.
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Co-Chairperson Munizae Jahangir said that governments on both sides of the border should take steps to reduce tensions while showing responsibility. “We have to choose path of peace before war, and not after war just like the past,” she said. Former National College of Arts dean Salima Hashmi said people need better education, good health facilities, food, and employment. “We have to put humanity first. We need peace and not war and destruction in our country and in neighborhood,” she said.
During the rally, columnist and book author Barrister Naseem Bajwa told Risala Today that Pakistan and India need to resume comprehensive but uninterrupted dialogue, and focus more to improve democracy in their states. “We have no other option but to accept each other with all due respect just like good neighbors,” he said. Also, he said that both sides can choose peace instead of war to save their nations from destruction. He shared his personal accounts, experiences and lessons learnt throughout his lifetime from the Pakistan Movement to shifting to a foreign country.
The Joint Action Committee appealed to citizens to hold parallel rallies in other cities of Pakistan and India to press for peace and bilateral dialogue to resolve outstanding issues. It pointed out policies of the Indian government, and unchecked violence in Jammu Kashmir, and urged concreate steps to uphold rights of the Kashmiri people under international law. “We are all against war, and any kind of disturbance in our region,” on eof the participants told Risala Today.
