Peace groups across Southasia and the diaspora urge restraint against the rising tide of violence and call for sustained dialogue even as India and Pakistan tensions escalate.
By Pragyan Srivastava / Sapan News
Amid the grief of the Pahalgam terrorist attack and a cyber intrusion targeting their live event, members of the Southasia Peace Action Network (Sapan) stood strong in unity and purpose. A deeply moving reaffirmation of collective resilience and the unwavering belief in a peaceful and united Southasia was evident in the activist group’s fourth anniversary webinar, titled “The Southasian People’s Path to Peace and Cooperation: How to Move Forward?”, Sunday 27 April 2025.
Sapan founding members and prominent feminist activists Khawar Mumtaz, in Lahore and Khushi Kabir in Dhaka respectively hosted and moderated the session, which opened with a moment of silence for the Pahalgam victims.
“We at Sapan strongly condemn the attack that killed innocent, unarmed tourists,” said Mumtaz. “The pathway to peace is strewn with setbacks, but the desire for peace, mobility, and opportunity is undiminished among our people.”
The panel featured human rights lawyer Sara Hossain in Dhaka, environmental lawyer and climate advocate Rafay Alam in Lahore, and Lalita Ramdas, an educationist, anti-nuclear activist in India. All three are Sapan members; Ramdas is also a founder member, and a member of Sapan’s advisory council.
Sara Hossain addressed the need for introspection among human rights advocates. Reflecting on the violence in Bangladesh following recent political upheavals, she critiqued the selective outrage that often dominates the discourse.
“We fail to speak out when victims are from opposing ideological camps,” she said, warning against the erosion of human rights principles due to partisan loyalties.
Building a cross-border culture of justice that recognises and condemns violations irrespective of political identity or religious affiliation is essential, she added. Only such moral clarity, she argued, can underpin a genuine regional peace effort.
“Climate change is not just about global warming — it’s a civilizational crisis,” stressed Rafay Alam in a passionate plea for climate cooperation. Drawing from the alarming melt projections of Himalayan glaciers, he called the Indus Water Treaty outdated and highlighted the need for a multi-nation agreement involving all riparian states — India, Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and China.
He also spotlighted air pollution as a regional issue that kills millions annually. “This is a Kabul to Calcutta problem,” said Alam, proposing cross-border collaboration among educational and research institutions as a starting point for solutions.
“Air pollution has emerged as a regional crisis – an ‘invisible killer’’’’ that is increasingly the top public health concern. Cities across Southasia compete for the most polluted air in the world. The hot-spot for the worst air in the world, 37 out of the 40 most polluted cities, are located in the region,” as Mandira Nayar writes.
Speaking with personal grief and political resolve, Lalita Ramdas, 86, reflected on the killing of a young navy officer in Pahalgam, recalling her own honeymoon in the same region 63 years ago with her late spouse, Ramu Ramdas, former Indian Navy chief who passed away on 15 March 2024.
She passionately advocated for demilitarisation and nuclear disarmament, questioning the obscenity of military spending in one of the world’s most densely populated and impoverished regions.
Drawing inspiration from the Bandung Conference 1955 held in Bandung, a city in Indonesia, and the legacy of anti-nuclear movements, she called on Sapan and allies to “lead the charge” for a nuclear-free, peaceful Southasia. “We have no choice but to dream and act,” she said, quoting iconic Southasian feminist Kamla Bhasin: “There is no path to peace. Peace is the path.”
Despite being disrupted mid-way by a cyber intrusion that was quickly controlled, the webinar continued with resilience, and speakers reiterated the need for deeper intergenerational and cross-border connections.
Prominent rights advocate and former senator Farhatullah Babar in Islamabad who was in the audience lauded Sapan’s determination. “This cyberattack didn’t deter you. That courage raises my hope,” he said.
Babar emphasised the need to condemn terrorism unequivocally and pursue dialogue relentlessly. “There is no place for terror, no matter the provocation. But we must also keep reaching out across borders. In the absence of alternatives, dialogue is the only path.”
The session closed with Namrata Sharma, a senior journalist from Nepal and a member of Sapan News’s advisory council, summarising the key takeaways, echoing the recurring theme of dreamers refusing to surrender to cynicism.
“Denuclearization, demilitarization, climate cooperation—these may seem like dreams,” she said. “But as Benazir Bhutto once said, everyone has a right to dream.”
She praised the courage of the Kashmiri people for standing united in the face of terror and appealed to Southasians to draw inspiration from them. “If they can come together after being brutalized, so can we.”
Despite the pain felt by participants and the cyber disruption, Sapan’s 4th anniversary event concluded with hope and resolve.
“Whether it’s peace or climate or justice — we have no choice but to work together,” said Lalita Ramdas, reiterating her call for a nuclear-free Southasia. She quoted Kamla Bhasin again: “There is no path to peace—peace is the path.”
As Rafay Alam noted, the existential climate crisis demands that Southasia stop squabbling and start sharing—not just rivers, but solutions.
“We must dream. And we must act,” said Sharma. “Because Southasia is not just geography. It is our shared home, and we must protect it—together.”
Sapan News associate editor Pragyan Srivastava is an Indian journalist and former Fulbright-Nehru Master’s scholar at Rutgers University. With extensive experience in digital storytelling, social media, and television production, she is passionate about creating authentic and powerful stories about Southasia. Email: pragyan@sapannews.com
Lead image: Screenshot from the “The Southasian People’s Path to Peace and Cooperation: How to Move Forward” webinar, featuring speakers from various groups.
This is a Sapan News syndicated feature available for republication with due credit to http://www.sapannews.com.
Correction: This article has been updated to correct the date of Admiral Ramdas’ passing.
Note on Southasia as one word: Like Himal Southasian, we use ‘Southasia’ as one word, “seeking to restore some of the historical unity of our common living space, without wishing any violence on the existing nation states”.
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