|
24 June 2002 |
|
The Movement Against Nuclear Weapons (MANW) voices its extreme concern at the persistently grave threat of an India-Pakistan war, which can lead to a nuclear holocaust in the region. It warns the peace-loving people of India, Pakistan and the world against any complacency on this count caused by any apparent, temporary or partial easing of tensions between the two nuclear-weapon-flaunting neighbours. The MANW strongly condemns the nuclear militarism and jingoism that had driven the governments of both the nations to push the subcontinent to the brink of an unprecedented disaster. It places on record its grateful appreciation of the role played by the world public opinion and, particularly, the international peace movement in averting the grave threat of a major India-Pakistan conflict and a nuclear conflagration. While welcoming the limited steps taken by the two governments under world pressure to defuse the crisis, the MANW cautions against any relaxation of popular vigilance against the wiles of warmongers on both sides. With the deployment of nearly a million troops on the borders and of missiles trained on each other's territory, the main source of tensions remains, and so does a dangerously prolonged standoff. The recurring rhetoric of jingoism on both sides including nuclear chest-thumping, despite occasional protestations of restraint and responsibility, is no reassurance to the people of India and Pakistan who desire a speedy return to normalcy. The absurd, stale argument that the nuclear weapons of both the countries have proved a "deterrent" against a war between them - not heard after Kargil and until recently - is being repeated. The real danger of a nuclear war being sparked off by accidental or unauthorized use of nuclear weapons only adds to the nightmarish prospects that threaten the region. Not a single step has been taken by either side for a peaceful bilateral settlement of the disputes between both. The MANW pleads for an immediate pull-back by both sides from the borders followed by all necessary measures for a swift de-escalation of tensions. It urges normalization of state-level relations and resumption of people-to-people contacts without further delay. It calls for demonstration of statesmanship on both sides for a peaceful settlement of all India-Pakistan disputes. The MANW cautions the people of both countries against falling prey to forces which indulge in campaigns of hate, violence and terrorism in the name of religion, contributing to warmongering and rise of anti-democratic forces in both the countries. Developments since the Pokharan II and Chagai tests, including the Kargil conflict and the current standoff which has brought the region near the brink o a nuclear
war, bear out the truth of the warnings of the peace movement over the past four years. We say this not in a self-congratulatory manner but with deep regret that sane
counsel has gone unheeded and that the situation has been allowed to come to such a sorry pause. The MANW reiterates its demand for a reversal of the process of nuclear
weaponization in both India and Pakistan. It is only when the region has been |
|
|
