3rd Joint Convention at Calcutta: December 28-31,1996

Calcutta Declaration

Following Joint Declaration was issued at the conclusion of Calcutta Convention.

The most fundamental interest of the people of Pakistan and India, as also of the South Asian region as a whole, demands that both countries celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Independence by taking a solemn pledge to devote the second half century of freedom to realizing the share aspirations of the people for Peace,democracy, justice, tolerance, and equal opportunities for all citizens regardless of belief, atomicity, gender, and social status. That in order to realize this objective, the two states must sign, by 14-15th August 1997, a comprehensive treaty providing for the employment of internationally recognized mechanisms of mutual negotiation, mediation and arbitration for conflict resolution that could guarantee durable peace.
That the two states must enter into bilateral agreements to ensure the following:
Free travel across the border
Free exchange of information and publications and reduction of communication and travel costs.
Removal of traded barriers and grant of MEN status to each other. That while celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of freedom the people rejoice in one another’s freedom and integrity, and That the members of the Forum have a historic a responsibility to carry out the action plan adopted at the convention; and in particular the tasks listed below:

• Demilitarization, Denuclearisation and Peace Dividends:

  The members of the Forum must use all means available to them to persuade their respective governments to adopt effective confidence building measures, to agree not to use military forces against each other, to stop intermittent firing across the border, to put an end to proxy wars and to demilitarize Siachin. The both governments must ensure transparency in their defence budgets. The Forum members should redouble their efforts to secure an agreement between the two countries to desist from nuclear preparations and work for regional disarmament and a nuclear weapons free world. A public campaign should be launched to ensure that the resources released by reduction in defence expenditure are devoted exclusively to meeting die people's basic needs.

• Religious Intolerance:

  The National Committees should create National and Joint sub-committees to combat intolerance and prejudice in the following areas: education, specifically the teaching of history, media and performing arts, law and politics; and literature and culture. Priority should be attached to supporting and replicating projects like Communalism Combat's Khoj (removal of prejudice and distortion from history work), cooperation among media persons, exchange of writers and students, evolution of uniform guarantees of human right; in laws and codes, relief to persons detained across borders, rights of migrant labour and promotion of dialogues amongst religious scholars.

• Kashmir:

  The Forum will work toward creating favorable public opinion to make it possible for two governments and the people of Kashmir to find a solution to this long standing problem The following recommendations am made:

  • The PIPFPD Joint committee on Kashmir will hold regular meetings with Kashmiri leaders on both sides of the LOC. The understanding obtained from these meeting can be used for recommending future course of action.

  • The Joint committee on Kashmir will attempt to organize a meeting where representatives of Kashmir from both sides of the LOC can come together.

  • Activities will be undertaken which educate people and decision-makers about the facts and real issues about Kashmir and the urgency for resolving the conflict. In particular it is recommended that the forum should publish a newsletter. The Joint committee should also organize meetings with parliamentarians to acquaint them with issues that concern the peoples of India and Pakistan.

  • Governance: The convention calls upon the National Committees of the Forum to mobilize all groups and associations concerned with basic freedom and rights in their respective countries to secure the objective of genuine participatory democracy, to sponsor end undertake comparative studies in decentralisation of authority, to facilitate meaningful contacts between professionals, especially lawyers, farmers, traders, academics, scientists, physicians, women activists, and media persons for sharing of experiences, and to help evolution of common strategies to deal with the effects of global shifts in areas of governance and economy.

  • Gender Justice: Given the lack of gender justice in the legal systems of the two countries, the Forum decided to formulate a joint charter of Egalitarian Principles which will be the determining factor in civil, religious and personal laws in both countries. It shall campaign and lobby with the government and die citizens of the two countries to commit themselves to this charter.

  
  

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