By Muslim Mirror News,
New Delhi: A 40 member delegation from different regions of India Thursday concluded their Delhi to Wagah journey named ‘Aman-Dosti Yatra’ with the aim to promote India-Pakistan peace and friendship. The group went to India-Pakistan Wagah border at night of 14-15 August for lightning of candles as a light of peace. The group stopped during the travel to more than 15 towns and cities organizing public meetings to make people aware about importance of peace and generating support for India-Pakistan people to people contact.
A moving force behind the yatra Ram Mohan Rai, who is also associated with Association of People of Asia, said’ India-Pakistan peace is a necessity and very natural. People on both sides want to meet each other. Through this yatra we would express this feeling of people on behalf of millions of Indians and Pakistanis.”
Mrs Harutai, a freedom fighter, said she wants peaceful relations and close bonds between both sides of people.
Sanjay Rai, National coordinator of NYP said that youths from both sides must get platforms to clear their misunderstandings. Youths are future and hope.
Mudassir Hasan, a youth activist from Srinagar also joined candle vigil with the hope that a closer bonding between people and state on both sides may be helpful in reducing trouble to victims of their dispute.
Ravi Nitesh, coordinator of Aman Dosti yatra and founder of Aaghaz-e-Dosti, an Indo-Pak Friendship initiative, said that efforts to spread light of peace on India-Pakistan border through candle vigil is happening since last 23 years and was started by people like Kuldeep Nayyar, Nikhil Chakraborthy, Asma Jahangir and others and we want to continue this legacy.’
He also said during public meetings along the way, we also received huge support of people for the cause. He said particularly in Punjab, so many people including army veterans favored that they hope for peaceful relations.
Renowned artist Hena Chakraborthy said that arts and culture are strongest medium of connection.
A freelance writer Kushika A V from Banglore felt that when we talk about India-Pakistan, it automatically gets connected with Hindu-Muslim due to various misunderstandings. Hence, working on this issue may also benefit another important cause of communal harmony.
Former director general Doordarshan K M Anees-ul-haq says that people of both sides are similar and are able to build peace once they get chance. There are so much suspicion and stereotypes that need to be countered.
A day before the karwan started, a meeting was also organised in Delhi which was attended by Kuldeep Nayyar, Mohini Giri, Dr Syeda Hameed and others participated.
Yatra was decorated with many placards with messages of peace and harmony. Along the way, major stops of yatra were Murthal, Gannaur, Samalkha, Panipat, Gharonda, Karnal, Taraori, Kurukshetra, Shahbad, Ambala, Ludhiana and Jalandhar where activist Shri Bhagwan Sharma, Doctor Shankar Lal, Devdndra Kadyan, Sahab Singh Ranga, Nernder Sukhan, Ram Singh Chaudhary, Dr. Subhash Chander, Pawan Arya, Surrender Pal Singh and Shamsher Singh Gogi supported the program along the way. Program in Amritsar was organised by Folklore Reaserach Academy and activists Ramesh Yadav abd Satnam Manik along with others while the yatra was a collective effort of Aaghaz-e-Dosti, Aariz Media, All India Freedom Fighters Association, Association of People of Asia, Folklor research academy, Gandhi Global Family, Guild of Service, Hali Panipati Association, Mahila Chetna Kendra, National Youth Project, Nirmala Deshpande Sansthan, SAJAG, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, War Widows Association, United Religion Initiative and Womens’ initiative for Peace in South Asia.
Ram Mohan Rai and Ravi Nitesh told that a report in the form of booklet would be published soon and would be presented to various dignitaries as a peoples’ manifesto for peace.
Excellent initiative!