Date:03/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/03/stories/2008100354610400.htm

New Delhi

Students take out a march for peace

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Several concerned students of South Asia studying in different universities in the Capital took out a peace march from Birla House to India International Centre here on Thursday morning.

Apart from Indian students, youngsters hailing from Pakistan and Afghanistan studying at Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Millia Islamia also took part in the march.

“The basic premise of the event was to highlight the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, particularly their achievements and work towards waging a non-violence struggle. They adopted peaceful means to find resolution for social and political issues that were of great importance during colonial suppression in the subcontinent,” said Bhuvnesh Talwar, an M.A. student at Jamia.

“The issues of terrorism and the propagation of extremist violence that has made South Asia the focus of ‘global terrorism’ are matters that require special attention. The recent bombings in India and Pakistan, everyday unrest in Kabul, the ongoing conflict in south-eastern region of Afghanistan and the tribal area of North West Frontier Province are reminders that an eye for an eye will make the whole world blind,” said a statement from the activists.

As the youth of these countries, the students said, they were responsible for the shaping of the socio-political environment of the region in the coming times.

“It is up to us to spread awareness on the effectiveness of adopting peaceful methods as a way of dealing with the menace of terrorism, communal, religious and other forms of extremist violence. Following in the footsteps of people like Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Mahatma Gandhi is the need of the hour. Their social profiles, belief in non-violent struggle are credible evidence of the success of their ideologies,” it added.

Later in the day, the Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution at Jamia organised a public event on “Peacemaking Today: Learning from Mahatma Gandhi and Badshah Khan” at IIC.