THE Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (India) and Pakistan Peace Coalition, representing over 200 broad-based civil society organisations and people’s groups, welcome the Agra process of dialogue between India and Pakistan. The Musharraf-Vajpayee Summit has broken the ice between the two governments and paved the way for reconciliation. This is a substantial gain and, in partial recognition of it, the two governments have agreed to continue the dialogue.

However, we are disappointed that the summit, which generated unprecedented and fervent hopes among the people in both countries, did not fufil their expectations and produce a joint declaration. Hawkish lobbies have since launched concerted efforts to undermine the gains of Agra, pressurising the two governments to negate the entire process, rather than build upon it. There are efforts to scuttle and delay prime minister Vajpayee’s reciprocal visit to Pakistan.

These pressures must be resisted. All citizens, political parties and NGOs who stand for peace and for India’s and Pakistan’s healthy, democratic and secular evolution, must mobilise themselves to demand that the dialogue be resumed in good faith at once. At stake is the survival and progress of one-fifth of humanity. No diplomatic technicalities or past prejudices should be allowed to hamper the resumption of talks for reducing the nuclear danger in South Asia (which urgently requires agreement on nuclear non-deployment), for resolving the Kashmir issue (which must involve the people of all regions of Jammu and Kashmir), and for normalising bilateral relations. (INN)