By IANS,
Mumbai : Prominent citizens of India and Pakistan jointly condemned the serial blasts that rocked three areas of south and central Mumbai Wednesday killing 17 people and injuring 131 others.
“We the citizens of India and Pakistan strongly condemn the inhuman and dastardly serial blasts in Mumbai on July 13, 2011. We offer our heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the bereaved families and pray for quick and complete recovery of all those injured,” said the citizens in a statement released here Thursday.
The prominent Indian signatories include film makers Mahesh Bhatt and Anand Patwardhan, former navy chief Admiral L. Ramdas, senior journalist and activist Jatin Desai, actor and director Nandita Das from Mumbai, rights activist Sandeep Pandey from Lucknow and academicians Monisha Behal from Assam and Amitabh Matoo from Jammu, among others.
From Pakistan, they include MP and former minister Sherry Rehman, retired judge Nasir Aslam Zahid from Karachi, peace activist B.M. Kutty, Aman Ki Asha (Jang Group) editor Beena Sarwar, musician and ad-man Shahyar Ali Khan, and journalists Murtaza Razvi, Gul Bukhari and Mohsin Sayeed, among others.
“It is clear that these blasts are a well-orchestrated heinous conspiracy to derail the resumption of the dialogue and peace process between India and Pakistan that was stalled following the terrorist attack in Mumbai in 2008,” the statement said.
“With the resumption of dialogue in the last six months, both the countries had made significant progress towards normalisation of relations and resolution of a number of outstanding issues through a series of high-level meetings and exchange programmes,” the statement added.
According to the statement, an important meeting of the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan is scheduled at the end of this month to address a number of crucial issues and the blasts seem to be engineered to disrupt this meeting and derail the peace process once again.
The citizens urged the investigating agencies to probe the matter fully with an open mind to unravel the conspiracy, expose all these involved and punish the guilty.
“We urge agencies of all countries, especially India and Pakistan to cooperate fully in thorough investigation of all terror attacks anywhere to frustrate and decapitate all the groups and forces engaged in these inhuman and criminal actions that are a danger to all countries and create an atmosphere of security for all,” it said.