Saturday, March 27, 2010 By Babar Sattar The writer is a lawyer based in Islamabad. In October 2009, concerned citizens and activists from all four provinces and Islamabad congregated in Murree to develop a shared vision for peace in Pakistan and consider the role of the civil society in promoting it. The initiative entitled "pathways to peace", led by the Omar Asghar Khan Foundation, underscored the urgent need for ordinary citizens to shun their sense of helplessness (or apathy), and take responsibility to strive for peace and eradicate...

WHEREAS the people of Pakistan have in the past six decades been denied the rights and benefits of the citizenship of an independent and sovereign state; WHEREAS the provinces of Pakistan have not enjoyed the autonomy promised in the Lahore Resolution of 1940; WHEREAS the country has failed to evolve institutions of peace, human security and service delivery THEREFORE, concerned citizens gathered together in People’s Assemblies all across the country and voiced their support for a new social contract NOW, this Peoples Assembly held at the...

Its very very hard to stay focused in a country like Pakistan. Not so long ago in the ending weeks of 2009 I wrote a very upbeat cheery article about the incoming new year and how Karachi was going to celebrate it. On the 10th of Muharram, that article and any future hopes of celebration had to be shredded. Every one knows what happened that day during the bomb attack on a procession of our shia brethren and the horrible events which followed in which 3 city blocks of Karachi’s main whole sale markets were razed and torched to the ground. So I am not...

Iqbal Haider, 07  January 2010, 05:24am IST In the most gloomy atmosphere around us in Pakistan, we had no reason to celebrate New Year’s Eve. The morning of Jan 1, 2010, however, gave us a pleasant surprise when we read that the editors of the Jang group in Pakistan and of the Times of India group have taken a bold initiative to join hands for promotion of peace, economic prosperity, education and health much needed by the one-and-half-billion people of our two countries. This was not the only good news on Jan 1. The civil society in Pakistan,...

Islamabad More than 1,000 citizens marched in the Federal Metropolis as part of a nationwide campaign in which people took out rallies in 53 cities and towns of Pakistan to reaffirm the commitment to peace and observe Jan 1 as a day to express solidarity with those who suffered violence and injustice. Under the banner of Aman Ittehad, the peaceful rally marched to the point law enforcing agencies allowed it to proceed near the Parliament House here on Friday. Chanting slogan of “Aao milke zulm mitaey — hissay ki apne shama jalaen,” the...

By Waseem Shamsi Saturday, 02 Jan, 2010 SUKKUR, Jan 1: Peace rallies were held in different cities and towns of Sindh on Friday to promote social harmony in the wake of a blast in the central Ashura procession and large-scale arson attacks in Karachi. More than 2,000 activists of political, religious and social organisations, on the call of the South Asia Partnership Pakistan, held a big protest rally in front of Sukkur Press Club against rising incidents of terrorism in the country. Carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans against...

By Our Reporter Saturday, 02 Jan, 2010 LAHORE, Jan 1: The Coalition for Strengthening Democracy observed Solidarity Day on Friday by organizing peace rallies in more than 60 cities of the country to condemn `threats’ to democracy. The peace rally in the provincial metropolis was held from Regal Chowk to Faisal Square on The Mall. Representatives of civil society organisations, students, lawyers and trade unions participated in the rally carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans condemning terrorism. Addressing participants of the...

LANDIKOTAL: CAMP – an NGO – staged a peace march here on Friday to celebrate the first day of the New Year, with the hope that it would bring peace and harmony back to the region. Speaking to the participants of the march in front of Landikotal Degree College, the social mobiliser of the NGO, Farman Shinwari, said that establishment of peace in the region was in the best interest of the entire community. “We will arrange programmes to change the mindset of the people so that they could play their role for promotion of peace and elimination of...

PESHAWAR: Amn Tehreek Friday arranged a walk in the provincial capital to express solidarity with those affected by terrorism and militarism. The walk started from Amn Park near Cantonment Railway Station and ended at the Mall where a suicide bomber had blown himself up some days ago. Workers of different political parties, lawyers, journalists and representatives of civil society and NGOs participated in the walk. Chanting slogans against terrorism and militarism, the participants walked up to the bomb blast site on the Mall and prayed for the martyred...