Citizens demonstrate against war

A procession of around 150-plus processionists, comprising a number of civil society organisations, demonstrated in front of the Karachi Press Club on Thursday afternoon, urging both India and Pakistan to refrain from an armed clash and to replace the jingoistic threats with a constructive dialogue and negotiations.

Unlike most other processions, this one comprised the elite of Karachi’s society, highly educated and trendy. Some of the organisations represented were Home-Based Women Workers Association, Aurat Foundation, Rawadari Tehreek, the National Federation of Trade Unions and the Pakistan-India Forum for Peace and Democracy.

They were holding aloft placards inscribed with slogans like ‘Pakistan, India mustn’t go to war’, ‘war no solution to issues’, ‘say no to war, say yes to peace’, ‘down with the obsession with war’, and ‘Amn Zindabad, Jang Murdabad’.

A young woman interviewed by this correspondent said, “While we, the relatively prosperous city dwellers, shout slogans from the comfort of our homes, we must also pause to ponder the extreme misery war foists on the less privileged. We must think of all the misery unleashed by wars, the way people lose their dear ones, their next-of kin, so suddenly in bombing raids.

“We must think of the mass infamy people have to suffer in the face of invading armies. War rides roughshod over human dignity. War ruins the infrastructure of countries. When we consider all these factors we realise that war is by no means a way to settle disputes.”

All the processionists were shouting full-throated slogans with all the gusto, young and old, men and women alike. One of the slogans they were raising was “we want peace, we want peace”.