They added that a war between two nuclear-armed countries like India and Pakistan, however limited or short-lived, portends grave danger to the people of the whole South Asian region.
Indians, Pakistanis, Kashmiris and other south Asian citizens of UK urged the warmongers in Indian and Pakistani governments to draw back their forces from the brink and focus on peace.
In a statement released on Facebook by South Asia Solidarity Network on Feb 27, the citizens collective based in the UK said that they wanted peace in South Asia and urged both the governments to work on peace and not war.
“The suicide bomb attack on 14th February, in which 40 jawans of the Indian CRPF were killed at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, has been seized on by the BJP government even while the families mourn the deaths of their loved ones, and in many cases against their wishes, to whip up nationalist anger before the general election due to start in April. In doing so, India’s BJP government led by Narendra Modi is recklessly taking the country to the brink of war with Pakistan,” they wrote.
They condemned the Indian government’s warmongering response to Pulwama (which reached the level of an air-raid across the line of control in Kashmir) and its “cynical and shameless use of the deaths of the jawans for electioneering.”
They also condemned the warmongering and attacks with which the Pakistani military responded and urged them to stop further escalation. “We call upon the Pakistan government to assert civilian control over its armed forces. The failure to do so is a permanent threat to peace in South Asia,” they said.
They added that a war between two nuclear-armed countries like India and Pakistan, however limited or short-lived, portends grave danger to the people of the whole South Asian region. “We condemn the wave of attacks on Kashmiris – students, traders and others – across India incited by the BJP and carried out by its affiliates. We call for prompt and severe punishment of the perpetrators, and of colluding officials and police officers,” they added.
“We condemn the widespread expulsions and arrests of Kashmiri students on the basis of alleged “anti-national” social media posts. We condemn also the death threats against those who have criticised the BJP government’s Islamophobic and anti-Kashmiri policies,” they said.
They also called on the Indian government to not accept Israel’s offer of “unlimited” assistance and not allow Israel to involve itself in the internal affairs of South Asia.
The statement was supported by General and Municipal Boilermakers (GMB) Trade Union Race, one of the UK’s biggest trade unions.
The signatories were South Asia Solidarity Group London, Awami Workers Party Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (UK), Pakistan Solidarity Campaign (UK), Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) International Department, General and Municipal Boilermakers (GMB) Trade Union Race, All India Progressive Women’s Association, London, Black women’s Project, National Union of Students (UK) Black Students Campaign, SOAS India Society, concerned students and South Asia Society, Goldsmiths, University of London.