For Public and Press Release !

No more nukes, say Pakistani and Indian delegates at anti-nuclear
conference [in Japan]

A report by Beena Sarwar

HIROSHIMA, Aug 4: Talks between their governments keep breaking dowm, but
ordinary citizens of India and Pakistan often manage to come to an
understanding on matters of mutual interest. Pakistani and Indian delegates
to the 1998 World Conference Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs at Hiroshima
issued a statement to the plenary session today, in a symbolic gesture much
appreciated by Japanese participants, who are openly critical of their own
government, as well as of the hypocritical policies of the other nuclear
powers.
The statement reads, "We, the delegates of Pakistan and India, while paying
homage to the victims of the USA’s atomic bombing of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, wish to express our solidarity with the hibakusha (survivors of
the atomic bombing) in the quest to eliminate nuclear weapons from the
world.

"We express the fervent hope that the use or threat of use of nuclear
weapons is never again repeated against people anywhere. With this sense of
deep concern, we urge our respective governments to defuse tension in the
region and to resolve all outstanding matters of dispute through dialogue.
We also urge our respective Governments to extend full support to our
efforts to expand people-to-people contact, which would be a significant
confidence building step towards better understanding and cooperation
between our countries.
.
"We further demand that the meagre resources of our countries should not be
frittered away on military expenditure, instead these resources should be
utilized to eradicate the grave problems facing the two countries: like
hunger, ill-health, illiteracy and lack of basic infrastructure, etc.

"We demand elimination of nuclear weapons and a ban on any further test to
develop weapons of mass destruction by all governments with nuclear
capability including our own. We demand that our two governments should
vigorously campaign to dismantle the global discriminatory nuclear regime
and initiate moves towards global nuclear disarmament.  In fact the
Governments of Pakistan and India can jointly take the initiative in
convening a global convention for the elimination of nuclear weapons.

"We, as concerned citizens, are keen to direct our efforts not only at
pressurizing our two governments but also at mobilizing world public opinion
for fulfilling such a goal."

The delegates, comprising trade union and political party workers as well as
academics, concluded by expressing the hope that there would be "No More
Hiroshimas! No More Nagasakis! No More Hibakusha!" and "No More Pokhrans!
No More Chaghis!"