Lahore, Press Release 7th April
A joint meeting of labour and civil society organizations was held here to form a provincial Peoples SAARC committee in order to participate in the Peoples SAARC conference to be held at New Delhi in the third week of April. The participants of the meeting thoroughly discussed the matters and issues related to Pak India relationship and Pakistan’s ties with SAARC countries. While forming a people’s agenda for the New Delhi meeting, the participants highlighted the issue of water flowing towards Pakistan from India, the need of revision of Indus Water Treaty and the softening of visas between the two countries.
The speakers at the meeting underlined the subjects which was to be discussed at the Delhi meeting as freedom of movement rights to residence and work, politics off hate, terrorism and militarism, climate crisis, ecological justice and livelihood, building South Asian unity, nationalism, federalism and democracy, water sharing and water scarcities in South Asia, fighting imperialism, deepening democracy and trade and economic cooperation’s.
The meeting was of the unanimous view that the heads of SAARC countries were incapable to address the issues of poverty, terrorism and good governess in their respective countries and were involved in violating human rights as well as to promote hated among the neighboring countries. They speakers said that the SAARC Peoples Conference was aimed at formulating a peoples agenda before the SAARC summit conference as a guide line to the heads of the SAARC states.
The participant specially focused on the need of a visa free South Asia and stressed upon the government of India and Pakistan to allow the people of both countries to freely developed contact among them as the people of both countries did not want to have strain relationship between these countries. They urged the media of all South Asian countries to play their positive role to stretch the South Asian nations nearer to each other. After the conclusion of the meeting, a 25 member committee was formed to deal with the make the process to achieve the objectives of Peoples SAARC conference. The Peoples SAARC Punjab Committee will become the part of Pakistan Peoples SAARC Committee. This committee will make preparations to carry over 100 delegates from different labor and civil society organization to New Delhi in the third week of April. The meeting was chaired by Bushra Khaliq, while Khalid Mahmood and Farooq Tariq briefed the meeting about the coming Peoples SAARC conference to be held at New Delhi.
The organizations which participated in the meeting are Women Caring Foundation, Life for All, Women Worker Help Line, Sawera Foundation Chishtian, Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee, New Khan Metro Bus Service Labour Union, National Trade Union Federation, Labour Education Foundation, Ittehad Labour Union Carpet Industries Pakistan, National Commission for Justice and Peace, Shirkat Gah, South Asia Partnership, Awaz CDS Pakistan, Pakistan Bhatta Mazdoor Union, Punjab Union of Journalists, Business associates, Labour Qaumi Movement, Anjaman Mozareen Punjab, Rustam Suhrab Cycle and Motor cycle Employees Union and Progressive Youth Front.
Those who 26 who were elected as committee Members are: Farooq Tariq, Bushra Khaliq, Khalid Mahmood, Shaista Bukhari, Khaliq Shah, Tariq Mehmood, Aamir Sohail, Muhammad Ilyas, Fatima Zafar, Javeria, Fozia Waqas, Waseem Akram, Sharjeel Ahmad, Zia Ur Rehman, Aabid Raza, Naghnama, Tariq Mehmood Ghori , Yousaf Baloch, Adil Raza, Tanveer, Samina Malik, Jahan Ara, Mohammed Arafat, Aslam Meraj, Nadeem Asharaf and Badarunisa.
Invitation Peoples SAARC Punjab process
Dear all,
This is to invite you to attend a meeting of Peoples SAARC process in Punjab. The meeting will take place on 7 April, 2010 at 3:00 pm at the office of Labour Education Foundation 25 A Davis Road Lahore. The meeting agenda includ an introduction of Peoples SAARC, The Delhi Peoples SAARC 22-23 April 2010 and formation of Peoples SARC Punjab Committee.
We will note about the he Peoples’ SAARC process since 1995 and the need for peoples’ organizations to come together in particular because of the deteriorating relations between the governments of the South Asian countries and a complete breakdown of regional cooperation since the SAARC summit in Colombo in 2008.
(ii) The fact that South Asian governments through SAARC have come to agreements and covenants on various issues ranging from food security to terror but that none of these arrangements have gone beyond the paper.
In view of this there was unanimity on the need for progressive organizations across South Asia to come together to coordinate their actions in the hope of creating a “Peoples’ Union of South Asia”.
The core challenges before progressive organizations will be identified such as peoples’ democracy, resisting imperialism, building links between democracy and sustainability, issues of working people including migration, trafficking, social security and livelihood questions, the agrarian crisis throughout the subcontinent, plundering of natural resources, crisis of water both between and within South Asian countries, alongside the fundamental concern of human rights abuse, terrorism, sectarian conflict and fundamentalism and the persistent contingency of war within the subcontinent.
It has already been decided by a preparatory meeting in Delhi that the programme of 22-23 April Peoples’ SAARC 2010 will focus on the following seven themes:
· Freedom of Movement: Right to Residence and Work
· Politics of Hate: Terrorism & Militarism
· Climate Crisis, Ecological Justice & Livelihoods
· Building South Asian Unity: Nationalism, Federalism & Democracy
· Water Sharing & Water Scarcities in South Asia
· Fighting Imperialism, Deepening Democracy
· Trade & Economic Cooperation
Social organizations, trade unions, peasant organizations, political activists from different districts of Punjab are invited to this meeting. Please confirm your participation so we could make proper arrangements. No travel allowance or any other expenditure will be paid to the participants.
Fraternally,
Farooq Tariq
Member organizing committee Peoples SAARC
Bushra Khaiq
General secretary
Women Workers Help Line
Khalid Mehmood
Director
Labour Education Foundation