Modi's wife Jashodaben appeals for Indo-Pak peace, insists, no soldier should die on borders

Sandeep Pandey with Jashodaben

By Kaleem Sidiqui
In an attempt to bridge the gap between India and Pakistan, the Indo -Pak Friendship and Peace Yatra", led by Magsaysay awardee Sandeep Pandey began on June 19 from Ahmedabad's Sabarmati Ashram, and is expected to reach Nada Bet, Indo-Pak border in Gujarat via Kalol, Nandasan , Mehsana ,Patan etc., by the end of this month.
As the yatra was about to teach Balisana village, after leaving Mehsana last week, a special guest came to welcome the participants: Jasodaben, wife of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She joined the march for some time after welcoming the padyatris, and prayed for world peace.
Jasodaben said: "I congratulate these travelers who want world peace. I also pray for world peace to the God ". Condemning the killing of soldiers on the borders, she added, “Killings of the soldier either Indians or Pakistani is wrong and inhuman, no soldiers should die at borders. I pray to the God for peace in India and world”. Jasodaben’s brother Ashok Modi also came to receive of the foot marchers.
Alok Pandey, one of the travelers, raised slogans such as ‘Bharat Pakistan Shanti yatra Zindabad’(Long Live Indo-Pak Peace March , ‘Yudh Nahi Shanti Chahiye’ (We Need Peace not War) , ‘Poori Duniya Me Shanti Qayam Karo’ (Let Peace Prevails all over the World), ‘Parmanu Shastr Nasht Karo’ (Destroy Nuclear Weapons), ‘Dakshin Asia ko Parmanu Mukt Jahir Karo’( Declare South Asia as Nuclear Free).
The slogans were also chanted by Jasodaben and Ashok Modi.
When the yatra started on June 19 from Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Ashram, the Gujarat police detained all the participants, including Sandip Pandey, following the peace march ceremony. The police argued, the yatra cannot be held in out of Ahmedabad city because it might disturb law and order problems. All the yatris were kept in Ranip police station, and released by police after three hours. Later, they started their yatra from Adalaj, Gandhinagar.
At Nada Bet, off Indo-Pak border, many social activists and political leaders from Gujarat and other part of India are likely to participate in the closing ceremony. These include Congress MLA Naushad Solanki and independent MLA Jignesh Mevani.
On the other side of the border, in Pakistan, social activist Karamat Ali plans to organize a gathering in support of Indo-Pak friendship and peace march.

Jashodaben joining padyatris

According to Sandeep Pandey, "During the march, which began on June 19, we did not meet more than three to four people who said that India and Pakistan friendship is impossible. Most people welcomed us."
He added, “Jayant Bhai Barot of Linch village, who initially said that friendship between India and Pakistan is not possible, now says that if this happen it will be good for both the nations. It is a tough job but nothing can be better than this. He not only welcomed the marchers but also sat with travelers and took sugarcane juice with us.”
Pandey continued, "After four-years’ rule of the Modi government, people have come to the conclusion that war is neither the solution nor the answer. Both the governments have no option but to have good relations. During this march, our big achievement is, the issue we are raising is getting the support of common people, including Jasodaben, the PM's wife.”
Pandey added, “When we reached Bilasena village near Unjha town, we got warm welcome from villagers, and found more than 100 families of the village have relatives in Pakistan, yet it is impossible for them to get a visa to visit Pakistan".
Kausar Ali Sayyed, a co-traveler, said, "India's relations with Pakistan is so bitter that people are afraid to take the name of Pakistan because, on the both sides, there is fearful atmosphere created for political mileage.”
He added, “My relatives are in Pakistan. Long time ago, my father went to Pakistan to meet relatives. When he returned, he had some Pakistani currency, so he was arrested and agencies labeled him a spy. Later he was released. Common people don’t want this kind of complication.”
During the foot march, signature campaign is held by travelers, demanding to bridge the gap between the two nations. People are signing with the hope that one day soldiers of both the countries will not be killed and no one will fire at the borders, and that Into-Pak relations will turn better.
Jasodaben and Ashok Modi also supported the demands by the signing demands on paper, which will be sent to the Prime Ministers of the two countries.

Comments

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu. He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

Ongoing hunger strike in Ladakh draws fresh attention during PM’s Arunachal visit

By A Representative Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Arunachal Pradesh recently for two days. During his speech, a student from Keladha Adi District displayed a banner that read, “Stop the hunger strike, give Ladakh their rights,” in support of Ladakh climate activist and innovator Sonam Wangchuk. The student was later detained by the police. The incident drew attention to the ongoing hunger strike in Ladakh.

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Uttarakhand tunnel disaster: 'Question mark' on rescue plan, appraisal, construction

By Bhim Singh Rawat* As many as 40 workers were trapped inside Barkot-Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi after a portion of the 4.5 km long, supposedly completed portion of the tunnel, collapsed early morning on Sunday, Nov 12, 2023. The incident has once again raised several questions over negligence in planning, appraisal and construction, absence of emergency rescue plan, violations of labour laws and environmental norms resulting in this avoidable accident.

India's health workers have no legal right for their protection, regrets NGO network

Counterview Desk In a letter to Union labour and employment minister Santosh Gangwar, the civil rights group Occupational and Environmental Health Network of India (OEHNI), writing against the backdrop of strike by Bhabha hospital heath care workers, has insisted that they should be given “clear legal right for their protection”.

Civil society groups unite to oppose Rajasthan anti-conversion Bill, urge Governor to withhold assent

By A Representative A coalition of civil society organisations, rights groups and faith-based associations has strongly condemned the passage of the “Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion Bill, 2025” in the State Assembly on September 9, calling it draconian, unconstitutional and a direct attack on the fundamental rights of minorities. The statement was released at a press conference held at Vinoba Gyan Mandir, Jaipur, where representatives of more than a dozen organisations declared that they would actively lobby against the bill and urged the Governor not to grant assent, but instead refer it to the President of India under Article 200 of the Constitution.

Supreme Court: Outsourcing jobs in public institutions cannot be used as a tool for exploitation

By Raj Kumar Sinha* Ahead of the Assembly elections in Bihar, the issue of contract workers has heated up. A few days ago in Patna, around 9,000 land survey contract workers arrived at the BJP office demanding their jobs be made permanent and for the payment of outstanding salaries. These contract workers, who are involved in land measurement, were then subjected to a police baton charge. The protest had been going on for a month at the Gardanibagh strike site in Patna, Bihar. According to the contract workers, they have been working in various government offices, including the Revenue and Land Reforms Department, for years but do not receive the same rights and benefits as permanent employees. Their main demands are "equal pay for equal work" and guaranteed service until the age of 60.

Job opportunities decreasing, wages remain low: Delhi construction workers' plight

By Bharat Dogra* It was about 32 years back that a hut colony in posh Prashant Vihar area of Delhi was demolished. It was after a great struggle that the people evicted from here could get alternative plots that were not too far away from their earlier colony. Nirmana, an organization of construction workers, played an important role in helping the evicted people to get this alternative land. At that time it was a big relief to get this alternative land, even though the plots given to them were very small ones of 10X8 feet size. The people worked hard to construct new houses, often constructing two floors so that the family could be accommodated in the small plots. However a recent visit revealed that people are rather disheartened now by a number of adverse factors. They have not been given the proper allotment papers yet. There is still no sewer system here. They have to use public toilets constructed some distance away which can sometimes be quite messy. There is still no...

Counterview

Search This Blog