1st INSAF
Conference Report

Keynotes Speakers
Youth Presentations
Workshop Report 
Solidarity Messages

Solidarity Messages

Dear CERAS,

We will be happy to host the International South Asia Forum (INSAF) web
site with a view to popularizing your activities and promoting your
objectives. This will be our contribution to your efforts and you will not
have to pay anything for the hosting services. Your web site will be
located at our facility at AboveNet in San Jose. This is one of the best
connected location on the Internet in the world.

We will like the creation of this web site to be a collaborative activity
of people interested in peace and prosperity in South Asia.

Please let me know if we could help in any other way.

Regards, Anil

Anil Srivastava
Chief Executive Officer
AcrossWorld Communications, Inc.
111 North Market Street, #1005
San Jose, CA 95113
www.acrossworld.com

 

To CERAS and friends attending the
North American Conference on Peace and Human Rights In India and Pakistan

Friends:

I very much regret that i cannot be with you on this important occasion. I have felt for a long time that unless people like us, members of the South Asian diaspora who uphold the principles of secularism, democracy, and peace, can join together in organized effort, we remain ineffective in the face of the forces of national chauvinism, religious fundamentalism, and militarism that are destroying the inheritance, as well as the future, of the homelands that we have left but not stopped loving. The love that links us to the people among whom we were born, and whose complex stories, histories, and cultures gave us our bearing in the world, enriches our lives in our new lands. It is the vital element in the hybridity we pass on to our children. It is in the name of this love that grounds and orients our new lives in diaspora that we must unite to support democracy, secularism, peace, himan rights, social justice, and economic prosperity for our sisters and brothers in South Asia. I wish you a successful conference.

Sincerely,

Chinmoy Banerjee Member of NRISAD

 

 

Dear Friends

Thank you for the CERAS Resolution on the deteriorating Indo-Pak Relations, growing poverty and the rise of fundamentalism in the sub-continent. This type of an initiative is a small but important contribution to change in the situation. Thank you for it and in solidarity.

Dr Walter Fernandes
Indian Social Institute
New Delhi
India

 

South Asian Network for Alternative Media (SANAM) and Indowindow send greetings to the participants of North American Conference on Peace and Human Rights in India and Pakistan organized by CERAS on September 4, 5, 1999 and congratulate CERAS for taking the initiative towards the formation of a global coalition for the defense of secularism, democracy and composite culture in South Asia. We believe that friends at CERAS are ideally placed to launch such an initiative as you have the privileged vantage point that comes from combining secular activism with the advantage of physical distance to attain a more objective view of the affairs at 'home'. We extend our wholehearted support to this mission.

It is particularly important at a time when there is an increasing acceptance in the West of Hindutva as a normal and ideologically acceptable alternative to the older forms of liberal governance. The assault by the ruling Hindu right wing coalition in India on the personalities and institution in the fields of culture, education and media has reached frightening proportions and it is on the verge of changing the very nature and direction of information and knowledge industry and the cultural institutions. They are also seeking to radically alter the secular democratic structure of the Indian Constitution.

Hindutva forces are successfully exploiting the deep-seated Western antipathy towards Islam and Muslims and are making a common cause with the new ideological barbarians of capitalism in the West who talk about civilisational conflict. Of great concern in this regard are the activities of the rich and powerful lobbies of non-resident Indians implementing the Sangh Parivar agenda in the name of doing something for the country of their origin. Many among them do not even realize that they are helping to destroy the very social and cultural fabric of Indo-Pak subcontinent based on the values of synthesis, togetherness and pluralism. We hope that the work of CERAS and like-minded organisations among the people of Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani origin will help to pose a powerful challenge to the reactionary mainstream of NRI, NRP and NRB politics.

The task of cultural and ideological resistance is very important indeed and we hope that friends attending this conference will go back with a new resolve to ensure unity and concerted action to face the forces of darkness in the coming days.

Nalini Taneja

Asad Zaidi

On behalf of South Asian Network for Alternative Media (SANAM) and Indowindow

 

To,
CERAS,
3680 Jeannne Mance,
Montreal, Qubec, Canada

Dear friend at CERAS,

Greetings from Service Civil International - India. We came to know about your efforts for combating communal violence in Asian region through monthly news letter "Communalism Combat" We extend you our solidarity for this Cause. Infact there is a urgent need for combating with those back ward formations at very level who want to deveide the man from man. we would also like to get benefit from your long standing experience which you have obtained from working on this issue.

Service Civil International has been working on peace issues for a long time. We are concerned about the growing communal and ethnic tensions in this part of the world which is badly affecting the social, economic and political envioronment of the region. We have taken a small inititiave to check this trend starting from school level itself. We are enclosing a small concept note on which we are working. This is for your information only. We will appreciate if you could comment upon it and send some suggstion.

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely
Parwez Anis
For SCI-India.

 

Dear friends,

Received information on 'North American Conference on Peace and Human
Rights in Pakistan and India' via email.

Warm greetings to you from CEC, New Delhi. It is a significant more,
considering the indespread misconception (?) that Non Resident Indians
(NRIs) tend to support the rightist forces in India. The consolidation of
progressive sections of expatriates from the region will definitely
strengthen those who are resisting the growth of religious fundamentalism,
authoritarinsation and ------------- in South Asia.

You would be happy to know that South Asian Labour Forum (SALF) is planning
a meeting of Trade Unions on 'Peace, Democracy and Trade Unions' in
September 1999.

With best wishes,

J. John, CEC & Labour File Teams

 

I am writing to thank you for inviting me to participate in the Conference on Peace and Human Rights in India and Pakistan being organized in Montreal on September 4 and 5, 1999. Although I will not be able to attend the conference because of other commitments, I wish to extend greetings to the conference delegates on behalf of the British Columbia Human Rights Commission.

Our Commission endeavours to further the purposes of the BC Human Rights Code, which include promoting a climate of understanding and mutual respect where all people are equal in dignity and rights. Although we are a provincial commission, we keep in touch with other provinicial and national human rights organizations that protect and promote human rights in their jurisdictions.

I commend CERAS for taking the initiative to organize the conference. I hope that the conference will provide an excellent opportunity for members of the South Asian community in North America to come together and forge alliances on important issues of peace and human rights in India and Pakistan.

Wishing you a successful conference.

Yours truly

Harinder Mahil
Deputy Chief Commissioner
British Columbia Human Rights Commission

 

Honorable guests, ladies and gentlemen. I am thankful to CERAS and the organizers of this prestigious conference for the invitation extended to me to represent Pakistani Community in Montreal. I also thank on behalf of the Pakistani Community for holding this conference on the subject of Peace and Human Rights in India as well as in Pakistan. These subjects are very vital and inter-linked to the existence, progress and advancement of these countries, may it be in the social field or political. Honoring human rights are the basis for social peace and harmony and the democracy cannot be achieved without the sanctity of the preservation of human rights. The world has changed a lot. We are now talking about the new millennium and everybody is hopeful that the new century will bring more and more awareness about the people's rights and necessity to maintain peace. The advancement in electronic media has made the violation of these rights more and more intolerable and difficult not to be noticed by the world at large. Today the countries are judged by their human rights records and how peaceful situation exists in a particular country. The economic and political achievements have become subjective issues. Unfortunately, India and Pakistan are in the list of the countries where human rights are most violated rights and where the peace and harmony among the social groups is in precarious conditions. To talk about these matters, for the benefit of the 1/5th of the world's population will be a great service to the humanity because the situation in the sub-continent is likely to affect the rest of the 4/5th of the world's population some how or other.

I praise CERAS for holding seminars, conferences on very important and useful subject matters in the past by inviting most revered and experienced thinkers on human rights activities to their platform. Those efforts were commendable. It has helped us understand the gravity and the true nature of the problems. We, the people who live abroad for a long time from those countries, can thus have the opportunity to take part in the development of our countries by contributing in a way we are advised and convinced. This makes us responsible citizens and the persons who do care what should our country be like, and what should not happen there. Our unique position makes us the most responsible persons and the persons whose concerns are never ignored by their respective countries.

I have always cherished the efforts of CERAS and the pain they take in this respect. I assure the organizers that they will not be alone in their endeavours in future and Pakistan Association of Quebec will stand side by side along with them in any future noble cause like this and they can depend upon us in every respect.

I hope today's discussion will bring about some kind of proposals which could help improve the situation of human rights conditions and peace objectives in our countries for which the credit will definitely go to CERAS.

Our countries share the same kind of problems and their solutions would also be similar. I am sure that any outcome from this conference will help to further the cause of peace between the two nations and bring them closer. Even a sheer step towards any cause is a contribution.

Thanks again from the core of my heart.

Inam Haidery
President
Pakistan Association of Quebec

 

 

For all those involved with this exciting Initiative,

We just wanted to congratulate all of you for this wonderful initiative.
As long as such voices speak up and such feelings are expressed -
fascism in all its hues and forms will and must be battled and
destroyed.

(Sorry - it is sad that we resort to the language of violence!)

I feel sorry that during my last four and a half years as President of
the ICAE - (with a secretariat based in Toronto) - I was never really
able to be in touch with you at CERAS. I have visited Toronto at least
once or twice every year! But now, when I will be finishing my term - I
look forward to remaining in touch with your efforts and to be part of
the continuing peace initiatives.

Warm regards from Ramu and myself,

Lalita Ramdas