Peace Caravan urges unity against militancy
[22.Feb.2010 - 09:08]KhyberNews - Media Watch
PESHAWAR: Expressing solidarity with the people of Pakhtunkhwa, the Peace Caravan Tuesday urged them to get united to root out militancy, to expose its perpetrators and to make serious endeavours for strengthening other peace movements in the country.
The Peace Caravan, which started its journey from Karachi on February 13 via Khyber Mail, was joined by peace activists from other parts of the country arrived here on Monday. To extend their support to militancy-hit people of the province, the delegation met with victims´ families and visited various blasts´ sites including Peshawar Press Club and the tomb of the well-known Pashto poet Rahman Baba, which had also been bombed by unknown militants last year, on Tuesday.
Represented by members of various political parties, trade unions, intellectuals, civil societies, writers and peasants, the Peace Caravan, is consisting of about 90 peace activists including 20 females, from Karachi, Hyderabad, Shahdadpur, Khairpur, Sukker, Khanpur, Multan, Khanewal, Faisalabad, Lahore, Jehlum and Rawalpindi.
Speaking to a gathering at Bacha Khan Markaz, the central headquarters of Awami National Party (ANP), labour leader Kiramat Ali said that the social structure of the country was based on injustice. People were denied of their just rights, which have increased the despair among common people.
He said if there was justice, there would be no militancy and demanded of the government to give due rights to all federating units, which he said would eliminate the sense of deprivation among various communities living in Pakistan.
´´Today we are here to show solidarity with people of the province. Unity is needed as well as collective actions to expose those who are promoting militancy,´´ he said. He added that terrorism was not the issue of Pakistan alone; rather it was the problem of all South Asian countries.
Mutahidda Labour Federation´s President Mohammad Iqbal said that they should mobilize working class, civil societies and political parties against terrorism. He said there was no doubt that the perpetrators of terror activities were working on the agenda of countries who want to destabilize this region, adding that people should forge unity to get rid of this menace. Executive Director Sungi Foundation Samina Umar Asghar Khan condemned drone attacks on Pakistan´s soil and said it was against the sovereignty of the country.
Additional secretary general of ANP Hashim Babar highlighted the sacrifices rendered by the party activists and leaders for the cause of peace. He said the party had sacrificed more than 300 of its workers including members of provincial assembly. He said the ANP always believed in non-violence and was following the path of Bacha Khan. He said it was the policies of ANP that exposed the agenda of militants in Malakand, adding that the militants were not interested in Islam but just in power.
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