TCN News
Citizens of India and Pakistan have come together for a 45-day-long peace campaign which will conclude with a joint celebration on 14 and 15 August, the independence days of Pakistan and India respectively.
The campaign, which is known by the name of ‘Peace Now & Forever’, is conceived with the objective of addressing the deteriorating relations between Pakistan and India by the day and to provide platforms to enable common people and civil society to demand peace and condemn war mongering without feeling apologetic or guilty about their stand.
Networks and organisations in 22 of the 29 States of India and the four provinces of Pakistan are coming forward to partner with the Peace Now Campaign.
Simultaneous Launches are being planned on July 1, 2017 from 3 PM India Time and 2.30 PM Pakistan Time.
Mazhar Hussain, the convener of the campaign said, “We expect the Peace Now Campaign to be undertaken in around 200 cities, towns and villages in Pakistan, India and other countries and the Campaign will conclude with a Joint Celebration on 14-15 August 2017.”
Apart from a Joint Signature Campaign, many other simultaneous programs in different cities and towns are being planned during the campaign period and especially on seven weekends that will be available during the course of the campaign. Weekend programs will include lectures on Peace including need for cordial Pakistan-India relations in schools, colleges and universities, Young Art for Future of Humanity: through platform for children and youth – film and documentary festivals, culture camps, interfaith prayer meets, peace caravans, rallies and marathons, outreach to political parties and elected representatives etc.
In Hyderabad, India, the Campaign will be launched at the Narayanguda YMCA on July 1, 2017 by Magsaysay Awardees Admiral Ramdas, former Chief of Indian Navy and Dr Jayaprakash Narayan, along with many other eminent personalities and representatives of civil society, academics, professionals, religious personalities, youth, students and media.
The others major cities and towns where the campaign will be launched with the joint signature campaign are Ahmadabad, Amritsar, Ayodhya, Bangaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Calicut, Dehradun, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pudducherry, Ranchi, Shillong, Shimla, Srinagar, and Vijayawada and other cities and towns.
In Pakistan the Launch will take place in Benazirabad, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Larkana, Mirpurkhas, Larkana, Quetta and other Towns. Further, Indians and Pakistanis living in Toronto in Canada, New York and Boston in USA and London and Birmingham in UK have also initiated the campaign in their cities.
The conveners have high hopes that many more cities and towns in Pakistan, India and other countries are expected to join the Campaign in the coming days.