On behalf of the peace-loving people of India, the
CNDP calls upon the government of the country to end
war preparations and rhetoric and expedite a return to
normalcy in relations with Pakistan. In concert and
cooperation with the peace movement of Pakistan, the
CNDP also calls upon the government of that country to
reverse its course of reckless provocation and pave
the way for a speedy return to normalcy.

We deplore the unprecedented aggravation of tensions
by Indiaís massing of nearly a million troops on the
borders and deployment of missiles that represent a
potential nuclear menace. The Prime Minister of India
did not promote the prospects of peace when he told
Indian soldiers on the Kashmir border of the need for
'a decisive war'. The government of Pakistan has not
reassured the people of the region by retaliating with
a massing of troops on the borders and deployment of
missiles, and refusing to rule out a nuclear strike in
the countryís defence. The President of Pakistan has
not acted to allay the tensions, either, by presiding
over a threateningly timed test-firing of the Ghauri
and Ghaznavi missiles.

The Indian Prime Minister's subsequent assurance that
the war clouds have disappeared is, of course,
welcome. More is expected of him and his government,
however, than the prediction that there will be no
strike of 'lightning' to belie the promise of 'clear
skies'. The President of Pakistan has not stilled the
fears of the people of the region with his
governmentís declaration that the Ghauri and Ghaznavi
testing had nothing to do with the current war
preparations. More is expected of him, too, than
statements (as in his latest address to the nation on
May 27) of opposition to terrorism long harboured in
Pakistan.

We are amazed and outraged at the unrestrained and
utterly irresponsible nuke-rattling underway for days
now. The fact that even a 'limited' nuclear war can
cause the loss of three million lives in the two
countries, and that the situation is actually fraught
with greater and graver dangers, has apparently made
no difference to the war-mongers on both sides.
Complacency on this score is criminally unwarranted.
The CNDP calls upon both governments to renounce,
first and forthwith, the option of nuclear war in
clear and credible terms.

We reiterate our demand for an immediate pull-back by
both sides from the borders and a return of their
missiles to their peacetime sites. Nothing less can
convince the people that the danger has passed. This
should be followed up by other normalisation measures
including the resumption of people-to-people contacts
as well as transport and trade between the two
neighbouring countries.

The CNDP reiterates, too, its strong opposition to all
forms of terrorism in all places including Jammu and
Kashmir. This is a reiteration also of its conviction
that the problem of terrorism, with its cross-border
component, cannot be solved by an India-Pakistan war
but must be tackled through peaceful, political means.

We note the international pressure being exerted upon
New Delhi and Islamabad in order to avert a war. We
gratefully acknowledge, in particular, the role being
played by the global peace movement. The CNDP calls
upon the governments of India and Pakistan to
recognise and respect the weight of the world public
opinion in this regard and to act accordingly.


J.Sri Raman, Achin Vanaik and others
Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace [India]