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AAPSO On India-Pakistan Nuclear Tests

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* 2/26/1998

AAPSO expresses its deep concern of the nuclear tests carried out by both India and Pakistan. Whatever arguments, the very possession of nuclear weapons is a threat to peace and the survival of humankind.

The flaws of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty which has provided a monopoly for five permanent members of the UN has been exposed by these Tests.
The new situation demands the nuclear powers to re-assess the NPT treaty and arrive at a time table during which nuclear weapons could be completely eliminated from world.
The US has already imposed sanctions against India and Pakistan as a punitive measure. It is AAPSO’s view that these sanctions are not a workable option and counter productive which affects only ordinary people as we have seen elsewhere and no way prevent the escalation of nuclear race.
Therefore AAPSO calls upon the five permanent members of the U.N. who composed the nuclear club to re-negotiate the NPT and agree upon a realistic agreement to completely ban and eliminate nuclear weapons during a stipulated time. This is the only way of removing nuclear danger to humanity.

* 24/2/1999

AAPSO Hails Vajpai-Sherif Meeting

Making an historic watershed, the Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpai who welcomed by his counterpart Prime Minister Nawaz Shariff of Pakistan crossed the India-Pakistan border inaugurating a regular bus service to the second Pakistan city of Lahore from Delhi.
This visit no doubt is a land mark in the history of India-Pakistan relations and would usher a new era of confidence building measures between the two biggest countries in South Asia. It was not long ago that the two countries exploded nuclear weapons which created a gloomy scenario in the region.
The visit of Indian Prime Minister will certainly have a tremendous impact on the people of the region who were aspiring for peace ever since they became independent five decades ago.
The peace loving people all over the world hail this great event and AAPSO joins them in congratulating both the Prime Ministers for their remarkable gesture. AAPSO had always advocated peaceful resolution of conflicts of both countries and appealed to initiate dialogue between the nations. This meeting proves that the enlightened leaders of the two countries are capable of searching a peaceful solution to their long conflict.
Both India and Pakistan have many more things to be achieved than frittering away their precious resources for arms build up and nuclear weapons. If these resources were used for peaceful development much of illiteracy and backwardness would have overcome and more educational and heath facilities would have been provided for the people.
AAPSO joins the people of India and Pakistan in hailing this great historic event as a commendable foundation for a world without conflict and war in the ensuing millennium.

* 24/2/1999

Obituary

The sudden passing away of Dr. Govind Narain Srivastava, the director-general of International Institute of Non-Aligned Studies, on 14th February 1999 after a massive heart attack has dealt a cruel blow to the cause of international peace, friendship and solidarity.
Dr. Srivastava was not only a very dear and close friend of AAPSO, since last several years he and the IINS closely collaborated in number of events relating to the South. In the last year he joined the AAPSO delegation to the NAM Summit in the 40th anniversary of AAPSO at the Beach Hotel in Durban.
At the New Delhi International Conference of Terrorism held in December 1998 under the auspices of the International Institute of Non-Aligned Studies, two members from the AAPSO Permanent Secretariat were invited to speak.
He closely cooperated with AAPSO in all issues related to peace, solidarity and development and specially to the problems of South. In July last year, he travelled from Delhi to London and addressed the 40th anniversary meeting organized by British AAPSO.
He was a tireless worker which has cost his health. In his untimely death, we lost a great friend, a devoted organizer and faithful leader. It is void in difficult to fill.
Non-governmental organizations all over the world will greatly miss him. His loss is in more irreparable for his wife and sons.

Nouri Abdul Razzak Dr. Mourad Ghaleb
Secretary-General President

* 7/9/99

AAPSO On Kashmir Conflict

The eruption of the conflict in Kashmir deeply disturb the peace loving people not only in the Sub-continent but all over the world.
This development is contrary to the vistas of good neighbourliness that was heralded with the opening of the bus route from New Delhi to Lahore and the historical Lahore declaration issued by both the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan-Excellencies Atal Behari Vajpai and Nawaz Shariff.
AAPSO is strongly of view that both India and Pakistan need to use their utmost restrain. Any escalation of armed conflict plays into the hands of enemies of peace who have no desire to see the progress of these two Asian Countries. Both people of India and Pakistan desire peace as they have enormous task to overcome their poverty. Frittering away valuable resources for an aimless arm conflict is not what the people of the region desire.
Therefore once again AAPSO strongly urge both India and Pakistan to open up a dialogue, build mutual trust and negotiate the issues concern to settle in a peaceful manner.
AAPSO expresses its strong solidarity with the peoples of India and Pakistan and wish them well in all their endeavours to establish peace, amity and good neighbourliness.

* 15/5/2001

Indian Position On New US Missile Shields

AAPSO expresses its deep concern about the India’s position with regards to the new US initiative on the T.M.D. and N.M.D. as published in the media.
It is well known that the new proposal of the US missile shields is opposed both by Russia and China and reservation by European Countries as it could only escalate arms race further.
Indian’s tacit support to the US initiative has alarmed all those who held Indian’s position high. This will only damage the international position of India at a time Indian’s role is very important. As a pillar of the Non-Aligned Movement, this new position of India goes against the accepted principles of the NAM that India always upheld.
AAPSO hopes that India has a duty to clarify its position and take a positive step to halt this which would damage international arms agreement.

* 2/1/2002

AAPSO On India-Pakistan Relations

Since 13th December when five terrorists attempted to strike at the Parliament of India; India-Pakistan relations deteriorated adversely. According to India, the five terrorists were belonged to two extreme terrorist groups-Jayash-e-Mohammed and laksher-e-Taiba which are based and supported by Pakistan.
Although Pakistan President condemned this attack, India was not satisfied that enough steps were not taken by Pakistan government to arrest and close down these terrorist camps which are allegedly in the territory of Pakistan.
Both sides have commenced strengthening their armed forces at the border between the two countries. Tensions have accelerated high and any small incident may result in a trigger of war which may be disastrous to both countries: such a war may have unforeseen consequences to the whole region and will have serious effect globally.
World is concerned about the trade of accusations between the two countries as both are nuclear powers. Both India and Pakistan have banned overland flights of their respective air lines and in addition India has already notified suspending the regular bus and train services between the two countries as from 1st January 2002. These measures only aggravate the situation further as it will create hardship to the people of both countries.
US and other powers are exerting their pressure on both governments to desolate the growing tension and called upon leaders of both countries to sit down and negotiate about the issues concerned. The US President has already stripped the Laksher-e-Taiba and Jayash-e-Mohammed as a terrorist outfits and on US pressure Pakistan government has already arrested over 50 extremists. India still seem not satisfied as enough is not done.
AAPSO expresses its deep concern about the growing tension between the two countries and request the leaders of both countries to defuse the situation to prevent any conflict and find peaceful means to settle issues confronting both countries.

* 30/1/2002

AAPSO On India-Pakistan Arms Build Up

AAPSO appreciates the peace movements of India and Pakistan that have rallied together to pressurize their respective governments for denuclearization of their region and search for a peaceful method of solving problems.
In this connection AAPSO strongly supports the joint statement issued by India-Pakistan Peace Coalition both in Delhi and Karachi. AAPSO also welcomes the statement made by General Pervez Musharref offering to work with India for the denuclearization of South Asia. This is a great step Pakistan has taken which stand sharp contrast to the establishment's refusal till recently to given even no- first-use guarantee and New Delhi's campaign about minimum nuclear deterrence and persistent opposition to a no-war pact" between the two countries.
AAPSO is in a full agreement with the position of the Peace Coalitions of India and Pakistan on the denuclearization of South-Asia. This will no doubt herald a tremendous positive impact on efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons in other areas particularly the Middle East, North East Asia and the World.
AAPSO expresses its deep concern about the continuation of the arms build up by the two nuclear powers at their border and appeals to both governments to initiate a dialogue to settle all problems between the two countries.

* 26/5/2002

AAPSO Appeals To India And
Pakistan Against-war

AAPSO is worried because of the deteriorated situation in the India-Pakistan relations since of late in the Kashmir region. Kashmir was a bone of contention ever since the independence of the two South Asian Nations in 1947.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars which only brought heavy casualties, destruction of property and devastation of borderline areas in addition to enormous wastage of resources. In this kind of war there are only losers and the people have nothing to gain. During the last few days situation has further deteriorated in the killing of innocent people in the Kashmir region by extremists. These dastardly killings were rightly condemned by both countries. AAPSO Joins them in condemning this inhuman acts which only play in to the hands of belligerent sections. Added to all these is the recent assassination of moderate Kashmir separatist leader at a mass rally in Sri Nagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir by some extremist assailants. This will only add war fuel to the already accelerated conflagration between the two countries.
The two countries have already mobilised their arm forces at the border and any small incident my trigger in a firing war between the two nuclear countries. The confrontation must be stopped and both countries must use diplomacy and dialogue to resolve the concerned issues.
Once again AAPSO appeals to the leaders of India-and Pakistan to use all their means to avoid a disastrous war which will bring only more destruction and loss of life.
Nouri Abdul Razzak Dr.Mourad Ghaleb
Secretary-General President

* 21/2/2002

Third Anniversary Of The Founder Of
International Institute For Non-Aligned Studies/India

An invitation to the Third Anniversary of the founder of International Institute for non-aligned Studies/India (22-23/2/2002) Dr. Srivastava was sent to Dr. Morad Ghaleb AAPSO's President and Vidyasekera AAPSO's Permanent Secretariat member.
Participants in the event were among academicians, professors and specialists of anthropology and political sciences of Nihro University and other research centres. Dr. Morad Ghaleb AAPSO's President has delivered the key-paper of the anniversary that was comprehensive one. The Paper deals with latest international developments after 11/9, war in Afghanistan, conflict between India and Pakistan, globalization, American hegemony, WTO and massive resistance for its policies as embodied in Seattle, Davos and others similar events. The paper also refers to these resistance actions and draws attention to the fact that they are not enough organized in one global front with a program and policy that are viable and continuous.
AAPSO's paper gets through the columns of the hegemonies capitalist system, what does globalization mean for the third world countries, the issues of peace, development and disarmament with a special focus on WTO and the impact of international latest developments on the neighbour countries-Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, China and Russia.
AAPSO's delegation headed by President Dr. Morad Ghaleb has paid a visit to all Indian Organization for Peace and Solidarity. Participants of the meeting were among academicians, university professors, specialists and concerned audience in addition to the head of the organization. Discussions went through developments in international arena, American hegemony, relations of China, India and Russia with America and Europe, and the significance of having a separate and distinguished positions apart from American-European ones. Discussions in the meeting touched the importance of promoting all aspects of the relationships between AAPSO on one hand and all Indian organization for Peace and Solidarity and International Institute for non-aligned Studies.