Mahesh Bhat, Asma Jahangir, Mani Shankar Aiyer Afrasiab Khattak

Peacemongers call for India, Pakistan to resolve differences through dialogue

Note: Over 350 endorsements so far. See updated list as of May 8 below including more than 100 added today.

With tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan on the rise, some concerned citizens from India and Pakistan have come together to formulate a statement expressing their deep concern at “the current rise in animosity and antagonism between India and Pakistan”. The resolution urges “both governments and their security establishments to take all steps possible towards improving relations”.

Noting that “whenever it seems that relations might improve, some form of disruption takes place ranging from jingoistic statements to militant attacks” the statement makes general points about the conflict, preferring not to address recent specific points of contention like soldiers beheaded at the border, schoolchildren sent back from an exchange programmer, medical visas being withheld and so on. “The traditional response to such disruptions only strengthens those who want continued tensions between our two countries”, points out the statement.

Nearly 250 thought-leaders, journalists, lawyers, activists, filmmakers, physicians and students endorsed the privately-shared statement since it was initiated on May 5. Prominent signatories include former parliamentarian Mani Shankar Aiyer, former senator Afrasiab Khattak, retired bureaucrat Harsh Mander, advocate Asma Jahangir, academics Meenakshi Chabbra, Adil Najam and Ayesha Siddiqa, historians Ayesha Jalal and K. N. Panikkar, filmmakers Mahesh Bhat, Gauhar Raza, Saba Dewan and Rahul Roy, artist Salima Hashmi, Jammu-based Anuradha Bhasin, Co-chair, Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy, political activist and economist Salman Anees Soz from Srinagar, nuclear physicist A. H. Nayyar, besides many others.

Activists Tapan Bose, Rita Manchanda, Shabnam Hashmi, Karamat Ali, Kamla Bhasin and others are also among the signatories, along with youth activists like Mohammad Jibran Nasir, Chintan Girish Modi, Devika Mittal and others.

Retired Indian armed forces personnel who have endorsed the resolution include Air Vice Marshal (retd) Kapil Kak, Admiral L. Ramdas, former Chief of Naval Staff and Magsaysay Awardee for Peace, and Gen. Tej Kaul, Executive President of India Pakistan Soldiers Initiative for Peace (IPSI). The statement organisers could not reach the Pakistani retired armed forces personnel who have been active in the peace movement but hope to include them another time.

Endorsing the statement from Islamabad poet Kishwar Naheed adds a comment: “Strongly endorse and requesting all India & Pakistani writers to come ahead for peace and dialogue”.

Several prominent journalists have also endorsed the statement, which pledges “to uphold the principles of impartial reporting and urge media houses on either side to prevent the growing militarisation of debate”. They include Prem Shankar Jha, Siddharth Varadarajan, Jyoti Malhotra, Nidhi Razdan, Jatin Desai, Marvi Sirmed, Raza Rumi, Shivam Vij, Kalpana Sharma, Ammu Joseph, Anita Katyal, Beena Sarwar, Saleem Asmi (former editor of Dawn), Sanjay Kapoor, Fauzia Shahid, Afia Salam and from Afghanistan, Najiba Ayubi and Farida Nekzad.

“We must act responsibly and stop broadcasting hate speech and creating public hysteria aimed at the other country and/or vulnerable communities”, says the resolution.

Endorsements have come in not just from India and Pakistan but from concerned citizens in other countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, indicating how people elsewhere feel impacted by relations between the two South Asian giants.

While the statement may not affect policy between the two countries, organisers hope that it will serve as a “pebble thrown in a pond that will have a ripple effect” as one activist put it.

Text of the resolution and current signatories below.

Resolution for peaceful relations between India and Pakistan

Make dialogue un-interrupted and un-interruptible

In the 70 years since Independence and Partition, the people of India and Pakistan have seen too many conflicts and the loss of many valuable lives. Enough of the distrust and tensions. Those who suffer particularly are ordinary people denied visas and those in the conflict zones, especially women and children as well as fishermen who get routinely rounded up and arrested for violating the maritime boundary.

We condemn all forms of violence regardless of its objectives.

Deeply concerned at the current rise in animosity and antagonism between India and Pakistan, we urge both governments and their security establishments to take all steps possible towards improving relations.

We note that whenever it seems that relations might improve, some form of disruption takes place ranging from jingoistic statements to militant attacks. The traditional response to such disruptions only strengthens those who want continued tensions between our two countries.

We move this Resolution towards a peaceful subcontinent and make the following demands to the governments of India and Pakistan, urging them to:

  1. Develop an institutionalised framework to ensure that continuous and uninterrupted talks between India and Pakistan take place regularly no matter what. Make dialogue un-interrupted and un-interruptible.
  2. Ensure that political leaders, diplomats and civil servants from both countries conduct talks on the side-lines of all international and multilateral forums.
  3. Recognise that the Kashmir dispute above all concerns the lives and aspirations of the Kashmiri people, and work to resolve it through uninterrupted dialogue between all concerned parties.
  4. Implement the 2003 ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan.
  5. Renounce all forms of proxy wars, state-sponsored terrorism, human rights violations, cross-border terrorism, and subversive activities against each other including through non-state actors or support of separatist movements in each other’s state.
  6. Support and encourage all forms of people to people contact, and remove visa restrictions and discrimination faced by citizens of both countries. This must be further taken forward to allow visa-free travel between India and Pakistan.
  7. Increase trade and economic linkages and cultural exchanges between India and Pakistan.

Further, we pledge to uphold the principles of impartial reporting and urge media houses on either side to prevent the growing militarisation of debate. We must act responsibly and stop broadcasting hate speech and creating public hysteria aimed at the other country and/or vulnerable communities.

Nandita Das

Nandita Das

Endorsed (names sorted in alphabetical order):

Name, Designation

  1. A. H. Nayyar, physicist, educationist, Lahore
  2. Aakash Chandran, Assistant Editor, Lighthouse Project
  3. Aasha Mehreen Amin, Deputy Editor, Editorial and Op-Ed, The Daily Star, Bangladesh
  4. Aastha Dua, lawyer, New Delhi
  5. Abha Bhaiya, activist, Himachal Pradesh
  6. Abhay Ramchand Shaha, Baramati, Maharashtra-Architect and National Secretary, Servas International Peace Organisation
  7. Abhishek Thakore, Co-founder, The Blue Ribbon Movement, Mumbai, and South Asian Youth Conference Series
  8. Achal Arora, insurance professional, Meerut
  9. Adil Jussawala, Poet, Mumbai
  10. Adil Najam, Dean, Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University
  11. Admiral L. Ramdas, former Chief of Naval Staff and Magsaysay Awardee for Peace, India
  12. Afia Salam, freelance journalist, Karachi
  13. Afrasiab Khattak, ex-Senator, Islamabad
  14. Akshat Singhal, Co-founder, The Blue Ribbon Movement, Mumbai
  15. Alefia T. Hussain, journalist, The News on Sunday, Lahore
  16. Aliya Harir, student at National Defence University, Islamabad
  17. Alka Subramanian, San Diego
  18. Aman Alam, software engineer, Bangalore
  19. Amardeep Singh, author, Singapore
  20. Amarpali Singh, poet, Chandigarh
  21. Ameya Kilara, Leadership Fellow, Center for Public Leadership, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
  22. Ammu Joseph, independent journalist and author, Bangalore, India
  23. Anand Chakravarti, academician, Delhi
  24. Anam Zakaria, author, development professional and educationist
  25. Anis Haroon, activist
  26. Anish Mishra, independent analyst and researcher on South Asia, Singapore
  27. Anita Dixit, social researcher, Kolkata
  28. Anita Katyal, journalist
  29. Anju Khemani, disability consultant, Hyderabad, India
  30. Anton Babu, entrepreneur, Trivandrum
  31. Anuradha Bhasin, Co-chair, Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy
  32. Arfa Khanum Sherwani, broadcast journalist, New Delhi
  33. Aruna Roy, social activist, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, Rajasthan
  34. Arundhati Dhuru, social activist, National Alliance of People’s Movements, India
  35. Asad Sayeed, economist, Karachi
  36. Asha Hans, Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy
  37. Ashok Chowdhury, All-India Union of Forest Working People, Delhi
  38. Asiya Shervani, diversity and inclusion consultant, Hyderabad, India
  39. Asma Jahangir, Chairperson Emeritus, HRCP & Advocate, Supreme Court of Pakistan
  40. Asma Shirazi, senior anchor/editor current affairs, Aaj News
  41. Atia Anwar Zoon, Assistant Professor, Federal Urdu University, Islamabad
  42. Ayesha Jalal, Mary Richardson Professor of History/Director, Center for South Asian and Indian Ocean Studies, Tufts University
  43. Ayesha Siddiqa, research associate SOAS, University of London
  44. Baela Raza Jamil, Founder and CEO, Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi, Pakistan
  45. Barnali Ray Shukla, filmmaker, Mumbai
  46. Baruna Bhattacharya, writer, Kolkata
  47. Beena Sarwar, journalist, teacher, editor Aman ki Asha
  48. Bina Sarkar Ellias, poet, editor and publisher, International Gallerie, Mumbai
  49. Bushra Gohar, activist, Peshawar
  50. Chaudhry Latif Akbar, President Peoples Party, Azad Jammu and Kashmir
  51. Chintan Girish Modi, peace educator, writer and researcher, Mumbai
  52. Darryl D’Monte, environmentalist journalist, Mumbai
  53. Deepak Kathuria, Association of Peoples of Asia
  54. Deepak Nahar, Past National President, JCI India
  55. Deepesh C, Assistant Professor, Chennai
  56. Devang Shah, international law and diplomacy student
  57. Devika Mittal, research student and convener (India) Aaghaz-e-Dosti
  58. Diep Saeeda, peace activist, Lahore
  59. Dilrukshi Handunnetti, journalist and lawyer, Sri Lanka
  60. Dunu Roy, Senior Fellow at the Centre for Public Affairs and Critical Theory, Shiv Nadar University
  61. Ellia Khan, Officiating Director, PeaceNiche | T2F, Karachi
  62. Elsa D’Silva, Founder and CEO, Red Dot Foundation, Mumbai
  63. Ershad Mahmud, Executive Director, Center for Peace, Development and Reforms, Rawalakot
  64. Ezabir Ali, women’s rights activist, Srinagar
  65. Farooq Shah, Managing Editor, Kashmir Observer
  66. Farida Batool, Head of Visual Arts National College of Arts (NCA), Lahore
  67. Fauzia Shahid, content editor PTV, Islamabad
  68. Farida Nekzad, journalist, Kabul Afghanistan, South Asian Women in Media (SAWM) president
  69. Furhan Hussain, researcher and trainer, Islamabad
  70. Gauhar Raza, poet, filmmaker, Delhi
  71. Geetha Durairajan, Professor, English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, India
  72. Tej Kaul, Executive President of India Pakistan Soldiers Initiative for Peace (IPSI)
  73. Hameed-ul-Mehdi, Team Leader, Community Development and Entrepreneurship Foundation, Quetta
  74. Harsh Desai, Campus Head, Thadomal Shahani Centre for Media and Communication, Mumbai
  75. Harsh Kapoor, South Asia Citizen’s Web (net)
  76. Harsh Mander, writer, activist, Delhi
  77. Harsh Narayan, filmmaker and activist, Delhi
  78. Hilda Saeed, activist, member, Women’s Action Forum and Shirkat Gah
  79. Ilma Iqbal, law student and team member, Aaghaz-e-Dosti
  80. Imran Aziz, businessman, Rawalpindi
  81. Imran Zahid, actor, Delhi
  82. Imtiaz Ali, Deputy Speaker, Provincial Youth Assembly, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  83. Inder Salim, artist, New Delhi
  84. Indra Munshi, sociologist, Mumbai
  85. Irfan Aslam, journalist
  86. Ishaan Jajodia, Founder, The Mumbai Art Collective & Student, Dartmouth College
  87. Jamuna Rangachari, writer and website in-charge, Life Positive magazine
  88. Jatin Desai, journalist, Mumbai
  89. Jayaprakash Satyamurthy, writer and musician, Bangalore
  90. Jayshree Murali, educator, VIDYA India, Mumbai
  91. Jayshree Shukla, concerned citizen, Delhi
  92. Jerusha D’sa, educational freelancer, Mumbai
  93. John Dayal, writer and activist, New Delhi
  94. Jyoti Malhotra, journalist
  95. N. Panikkar, historian, Trivandrum
  96. Satchidanandan, writer, Kerala
  97. Air Vice Marshal (retd) Kapil Kak, analyst, commentator on strategic and security issues
  98. Kalpana Sharma, independent journalist, Mumbai
  99. Kami Kidwai, management consultant, London
  100. Kamla Bhasin, social activist, India
  101. Karamat Ali, Executive Director PILER, Secretary National Labour Council and Founding member PIPFPD, Karachi
  102. Kavita Krishnan, Secretary, All India Progressive Women’s Association
  103. Kavita Srivastava, human rights worker, People’s Union for Civil Liberties
  104. Kedar Maddula, Wunderhaus Artists’ Getaway & Homestay, Pondicherry
  105. Kejal Savla, Program Lead at Community Connect Fellowship, The Blue Ribbon Movement, India
  106. Kenneth Joe Cleetus, Program Officer, Regional Centre of Expertise, Trivandrum
  107. Keshav Sharma, B.S. PPE Candidate, Northeastern University
  108. Khushal Khan, activist, Islamabad
  109. Kirthi Jayakumar, Founder, Red Elephant Foundation, Chennai
  110. Kishwar Naheed, poet, Islamabad
  111. Konchadi Vasanth Pai, retd company executive, Bengaluru
  112. Kuldeep Kumar, columnist and commentator, Delhi
  113. Lalita Ramdas, peace activist, Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy, Alibag
  114. Leena Dabiru, legal and development consultant, Delhi
  115. Madhulika Narasimhan, research and communications professional and core member Aaghaz-e-Dosti
  116. Mahesh Bhatt, film producer, India
  117. Mani Shankar Aiyar, peace activist, writer, former parliamentarian, Delhi
  118. Mannika Chopra, journalist
  119. Mansi Sharma, activist, Delhi
  120. Maria Patel, advertising and media professional, Pakistan
  121. Marvi Sirmed, journalist, Daily Times
  122. Maroof Syed, Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government (HKS)
  123. Maya Mirchandani, journalist, India
  124. Mazher Hussain, Executive Director, COVA,  India
  125. Meenakshi Chhabra, peace educator, Lesley University
  126. Meenakshi Chakraverti, writer, San Diego
  127. Mehmal Sarfraz, journalist, Lahore
  128. Melanie P. Kumar, independent writer, Bangalore
  129. Afroj, research scholar, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
  130. Mohammad Jibran Nasir, Never Forget Pakistan, lawyer
  131. Mohammad Shoaib, Aariz Media
  132. Mohammad Tahseen, ED, South Asia Partnership Pakistan & Convenor, Pakistan Civil Society Forum
  133. Mohammad Zakiuddin Mahdi, research scholar, Uttarakhand Technical University
  134. Mona Kazim Shah, founder, Project Pakistan, journalist and human rights activist, Dallas
  135. Mukesh Arora, financial consultant, Meerut
  136. Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander, Coordinator, Swarajpeeth Trust (Kashmir Chapter) & Founding Trustee, Inspire Me Foundation
  137. Najiba Ayubi, journalist, Killid Group, Afghanistan
  138. Nasim Zehra, journalist, teacher, TV anchor, Islamabad
  139. Nasima Karim, Co-founder and Focal Point Central Asia at Here We Are, Kyrgyz Republic
  140. Nandita Narain, associate professor in Mathematics, St Stephen’s College Delhi University
  141. Neena Gopal, Resident Editor, Deccan Chronicle, Bangalore
  142. Nidhi Razdan, journalist, India
  143. Niharika Awasthi, development communication professional, BBC Media Action, Delhi
  144. Nivedita Jha, freelance journalist.
  145. Nirupama Subramanian, journalist
  146. Noorjehan Bilgrami, artist, Karachi
  147. Omang Agarwal, Asia Coordinator, Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassadors Network, Delhi
  148. Ovais Sultan Khan, social activist, Delhi
  149. Pamela Philipose, Public Editor, The Wire, New Delhi
  150. Parag Shah, Communications Coordinator, Asia Plateau, Panchgani
  151. Pawan Bali, journalist and filmmaker
  152. Dr Pervez Hoodhboy, physicist and teacher, Islamabad
  153. Pervez Majeed, journalist, Srinagar, Kashmir
  154. Pervin Sanghvi, development communications consultant, Mumbai
  155. Praveen Singh, convenor for Milne Do and Students Right to Accommodation, Delhi
  156. Prem Shankar Jha, journalist, columnist, India
  157. Qurat-ul Ain, Lee Kuan Yew Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
  158. Rabeea Arif, Head of Graphic Design, University of Karachi
  159. Raheel Khursheed, Head of News Partnerships, South Asia & South East Asia at Twitter
  160. Raheem ul Haq, Senior Research Fellow at Centre for Governance and Public Policy, Forman Christian College
  161. Rahul Reddy, student, geopolitical analyst, technologist, humanist
  162. Ram Mohan Rai, advocate and peace activist
  163. Ram Puniyani, Center for Study of Society and Secularism, Mumbai
  164. Rahul Roy, filmmaker, Gurgaon
  165. Raminder Jit Singh, Founder and Director ‘THE – SARA’, Jammu
  166. Rashida Dohad, Executive Director, Omar Asghar Khan Foundation, Islamabad
  167. Ravi Kiran Jain, President PUCL, India
  168. Ravi Nitesh, peace activist, Founder, Aaghaz-e-Dosti
  169. Raza Khan, peace activist, Lahore
  170. Raza Habib Raja, PhD student, Syracuse University, USA
  171. Raza Rumi, Editor Daily Times, Cornell University faculty
  172. Raza Syed, journalist, Awaaz multimedia Group
  173. Reema Amin, educationist and peacenik, Lahore
  174. Rita Manchanda, writer, activist, Delhi
  175. Ruchhita Kazaria, advertiser, Kolkata
  176. Rumana Husain, artist, Karachi
  177. Saba Dewan, independent documentary filmmaker, Gurgaon
  178. Saeed Ahmed Rid, Assistant Professor, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad
  179. Safia Bokhari, peace activist, Lahore
  180. Sahar Alamgir, student and development professional, Islamabad/London
  181. Dr Saima Firdoos, physician, Rawalpindi/Boston, former board member APPNE
  182. Sajid Iqbal, research scholar, COMSATS University, Abbottabad
  183. Saleem Asmi, journalist, former editor Dawn, Pakistan
  184. Salima Hashmi, artist, educator, Lahore
  185. Salman Anees Soz, activist, development economist
  186. Salonie Dua, student, University of Delhi
  187. Samiksha Raorane, Manager, Global Foundation, Mumbai
  188. Samir Gupta, IT professional
  189. Sandeep Pandey, teacher and social activist, Socialist Party, India
  190. Sanjay Kapoor, Editor, Hardnews Magazine
  191. Saroj Nagi, freelance journalist, New Dellhi
  192. Saroj Razdan, journalist, India
  193. Satyapaul, Secretary General, South Asian Fraternity
  194. Saumya Aggarwal, Co-founder, Youth for Peace International, Delhi
  195. Seema Mustafa, journalist, Delhi
  196. Sehba Farooqui, Democratic Human Rights Network, Delhi
  197. Sehba Sarwar, independent writer/Artistic Director, Voices Breaking Boundaries
  198. Sehyr Mirza, independent journalist, Lahore
  199. Sevanti Ninan, journalist, New Delhi
  200. Shabnam Hashmi, social activist, Delhi
  201. Shastri Ramachandaran, independent journalist and international publications consultant, India
  202. Sheema Kermani, activist, Director Tehrik-e-Niswan
  203. Sheharyar Rizwan, journalist, Lahore
  204. Shehnaz Ismail, Professor Emeritus, Indus Valley School of Art and Design, Karachi
  205. Shiraz Hassan, journalist, Islamabad
  206. Shivam Vij, journalist, Delhi
  207. Shrenik Mutha, independent activist and poet, Pune
  208. Shruti Arora (Achesh), theater educator
  209. Shruti Ganapatye, The Asian Age,  Mumbai
  210. Shujaat Bukhari, Editor-in-Chief, Rising Kashmir
  211. Shuma Raha, journalist, India
  212. Siddharth Varadarajan, Founding Editor, TheWire.in
  213. Sini Nair, Educator, Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai
  214. Sristhi Chauhan, Fellow, Teach for India, Delhi
  215. Sudha Ramachandran, independent researcher and journalist, Bangalore
  216. Sunit Arora, journalist, India
  217. Swarna Rajagopalan, independent scholar and Managing Trustee, Prajnya, Chennai
  218. Swati Bhattacharjee, journalist, Kolkata
  219. Syed Ghazanfar Abbas, Correspondent, India Tomorrow News
  220. Syeda Afshana, columnist and media teacher, Srinagar
  221. Taimur Rahman, Assistant Professor LUMS
  222. Tapan Kumar Bose, Secretary General, South Asia Forum for Human Rights
  223. Talat Rahim, author, literary ambassador , Karachi
  224. Tanzeela Mazhar, journalist, Pakistan
  225. Tayyaba Hasan, Professor, Harvard Medical School
  226. Tulika Bathija, educator, Ecole Mondiale World School, Mumbai
  227. Uma Chakravarti, academician, Delhi
  228. Uma Sudhir, Resident Editor, NDTV
  229. Umair Vahidy, Dil Say Pakistan
  230. Umber Khairi, Producer, BBC
  231. Umer Abdur Rehman Janjua, columnist and author, Islamabad
  232. Umer Farooq, student, Lahore
  233. Urvashi Butalia, Director, Zubaan Publishers Pvt Ltd
  234. Vaibhav Arora, marketing professional, Delhi
  235. Vaishali Jethava, Program Coordinator, The Blue Ribbon Movement, India
  236. Vani Rijhwani, environment research student, Delhi
  237. Vasanth Kannabiran, writer and activist, Hyderabad, India
  238. Veejay Sai, writer, culture critic, Delhi
  239. Vijay Deshpande Satara, Maharashtra State Freedom Fighters Successors Organisation and Indo-Pak Friendship Forum, Satara District
  240. Vinay Nagaraju, Edward S. Mason Fellow and MPA Candidate 2017, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
  241. Vinayak Rajasekhar, Editor-in-Chief, paxpolitica.com
  242. Vipul Shaha, educator, Krishnamurti Foundation of India, Pune
  243. Waqas Halim, Director, Center for Technology in Education, Information Technology University, Lahore
  244. Yasmeen Kazi, Professor of Paediatrics, Karachi
  245. Yogesh Mathuria, peace warrior, World School of Happiness, Pune
  246. Zalla Khattak, freelance consultant, Islamabad
  247. Zar Ali Khan Afridi, Chairman FATA Commission of Human Rights
  248. Zakia Sarwar, teacher trainer, Founder Member, Society of Pakistan English Language Teachers
  249. Zohaib Karim, Co-founder and Lead Strategist at MentHub, Karachi

As of May 7, 2017

UPDATE: Since the resolution was posted on May 7, 2017, more than a hundred people from both sides have endorsed it and continue to do so.

  1. Aabida Ali, activist, Karachi
  2. Aamer Raza, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Peshawar
  3. Aasiya Ishaq, Pak Serzameen Party, Karachi
  4. Abhyudaya Shishodia, student, National Law University, Jodhpur
  5. Achin Vanaik,Retd. Professor of International Relations, University of Delhi
  6. Adil Jussawala, poet, Mumbai
  7. Afia Sheherbano, Women’s Action Forum, Karachi
  8. Agha Iqrar Haroon, Chief Editor, Dispatch News Desk News agency
  9. Ahmad Quraishi, TV anchor, Islamabad
  10. Akeela Naz, President, Peasants Women Society, Khanewal
  11. Ali Arqam, journalist, Karachi
  12. Ali Raza Abidi, parliamentarian, Karachi
  13. Amar Sindhu, Women’s Action Forum, Hyderabad
  14. Amit Jagda, image consultant, Mumbai
  15. Amit Mehra, photographer, New Delhi
  16. Amlan Dutta, wildlife biologist, Bhubaneswar
  17. Amna Mawaz Khan, dancer and political activist, Islamabad
  18. Ana Kandwal, writer and activist, New Delhi
  19. Indian Air Force Sqn. Ldr. Anil Sehgal, Mumbai
  20. Prof. Anita Ghai, School of Human Studies, Ambedkar University, Delhi
  21. Anjali Monteiro, Professor, School of Media and Cultural Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai
  22. Anju Makhija, poet and writer, Mumbai
  23. Dr. Arfana Mallah, Women’s Action Forum, Hyderabad, Pakistan
  24. Arshad Haroon, Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society Network (PCSN), Peshawar
  25. Arshad Rizvi, activist, Rawalpindi
  26. Atiqa Shahid, gender rights activist, Lahore
  27. Ayesham Sitara, student
  28. Babar Ayaz, journalist and author, Karachi
  29. Baruna Bhattacharya, writer, Kolkata
  30. Brian McMahon, retired master mariner, ex merchant navy from Kolkata
  31. Deep Kanakia, sustainability crusader, Mumbai
  32. Devashish Makhija, filmmaker, poet, artist, author, Mumbai
  33. Dolly Thakore, actor, Mumbai
  34. Faizan Lakhani, journalist, Karachi
  35. Faredoon Bhujwala, freelance corporate trainer, British Council and various other corporates, Mumbai
  36. Farhana Kanwal, development professional, Chitral/Islamabad
  37. Farieha Aziz, journalist, Karachi
  38. Farooq Tariq, Spokesperson, Awami Workers Party
  39. Feroza Batool, PhD Scholar Gender Studies, Lahore
  40. G. Sundarrajan, environmental activist, Chennai
  41. Gurmehar Kaur, student, Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi
  42. Harnidh Kaur, policy professional and poet, Mumbai
  43. Haroon Baloch, activist, Islamabad
  44. Harris Khalique, poet and essayist, Islamabad
  45. Harshad Marathe, illustrator, India
  46. Iqbal Alavi, Secretary, Tareekh Foundation
  47. Irfan Engineer, Director, Centre for Study of Society & Secularism, Mumbai, India
  48. Irfan Mufti, human rights and peace activist
  49. Kami Chouhdry, trans rights activist, Executive Director Subrang Society, Karachi
  50. Dr. K.P. Jayasankar, Professor of Media and Cultural Studies, Mumbai
  51. K. Satchidanandan, Poet & writer, New Delhi, India
  52. Kamala Visweswaran, anthropologist, San Diego
  53. Kamila Hyat, columnist, former newspaper editor, Lahore
  54. Khadija Mashood Mian, student, Lahore
  55. Kim Jurgensen. communications manager, South Africa
  56. Krishna Menon, Professor, Gender Studies, Ambedkar University, Delhi
  57. Kubra, women’s rights activist, Quetta
  58. Laraib Abid, Founder, Mashal, Lahore
  59. Manoj Mitta, journalist, author, Delhi
  60. Maria Harir, banking professional, Islamabad
  61. Maria Memon, journalist, Karachi
  62. Matthew Mattam, YouthAid Foundation, Pune
  63. Mazhar Arif, journalist, activist, Islamabad
  64. Mohini Giri, chairperson, War Widows Association, New Delhi
  65. Moniza Inam, journalist, Executive Director, WAF, Karachi
  66. Motika Anand, Chicago
  67. Dr Mubarak Ali, historian, Lahore
  68. Mubashir Zaidi, journalist, Dawn News
  69. Muhammad Al-Helal, M.Phil. Researcher on Sub Regional Cooperation in South Asia under the Department of International Relations, University of Dhaka
  70. Col. N. N. Bhatia (Retd), writer /author/ involved in welfare of war widows and repatriation of Indian/Pakistani POWs from Noida, India. “LET PEACE & CORDIAL RELATIONS PREVAIL IN INDUS -GANGES CIVILISATION!”
  71. Nadeem Anthony, activist, Lahore
  72. Nadra Huma Quraishi, Manager Professional Development, educationist, Karachi
  73. Nandita Das, actor and filmmaker, Mumbai
  74. Commander Narender Chandola, Engineer and Management Professional from IIT Delhi & IIM Indore, Ex Defence Officer / Joint Director, Ministry of Defence. Greater Noida (UP), India
  75. Naseer Memon, activist, Islamabad
  76. Nidhi Iyer, freelance photographer, writer, Kolkata
  77. Nighat Dad, lawyer and Activist, Lahore
  78. Nilofar Afridi Qazi, activist, Islamabad
  79. Nilova Roychaudhury, journalist, New Delhi
  80. Nitya Jacob, author, New Delhi
  81. Noman Quadri, lawyer, accountant, activist, Karachi
  82. Parshu Narayanan, advertising professional, Gurgaon
  83. Prerna Gupta, student, Mumbai
  84. Qandeel Fatima, banker, Lahore
  85. Rachana Johri, Professor, Ambedkar University, Delhi
  86. Radha Bheel, ED, Radha org, and Chairperson, Dalit Sujag Tahreek, Mirpurkhas
  87. Rajmohan Gandhi, writer, India
  88. Rakesh Sharma, filmmaker, Mumbai
  89. Ranjit Kumar, journalist, Punjab Kesari group, New Delhi
  90. Rafia Gulani, activist, Shahdadpur
  91. Resham Sitara, student, Sialkot
  92. Ritu Dewan, President, Indian Association for Women’s Studies, Mumbai
  93. Rukhshanda Naz, activist, Peshawar
  94. Dr Saif Mahmood Advocate, Supreme Court of India and Founder, South Asian Alliance for Literature, Art and Culture
  95. Salima Saleem, registered nurse, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi
  96. Saman Jafri, parliamentarian, Karachi
  97. Sarah Riaz Awan, Core Member, Hum Sub Aik Hain
  98. Sarwar Bari, activist, Islamabad
  99. Samana Malaika Raza, activist, Islamabad
  100. Sana Gulzar, Chairperson, Chapirchal, Peshawar
  101. Sanna Ejaz, peace activist/journalist, Peshawar
  102. Satish Mishra, journalist, New Delhi
  103. Seema Anil Sehgal, peace singer, also known as ‘Bulbul e Kashmir’, Jammu/Mumbai
  104. Seema Guha, Journalist, New Delhi
  105. Shabana Arif, activist, Islamabad
  106. Shahida Afzal, activist, Quetta
  107. Shahzad Ahmad, activist, Islamabad
  108. Shastri Ramachandran, journalist, New Delhi
  109. Air Vice Marshal Shehzad Chaudhry, analyst, Islamabad
  110. Sheikh Manzoor, journalist, New Delhi
  111. Shubha Singh, columnist, New Delhi
  112. Shri prakash, filmmaker, teacher, Ranchi, India
  113. Shobhna Jain, journalist, New Delhi
  114. Sidra Saeed, activist, Islamabad
  115. Sitara Rafiq, M.Phil. scholar, Gender and Development studies, Lahore
  116. Sohail Malik, Cloud professional, IBM, Dallas, Texas
  117. Sumaia Akbari, student at Bamyan University, working with GFA consultancy group as Monitoring & Evaluation Manager at Bamyan, Afghanistan
  118. Sumaira Ishfaq, activist, Jhelum
  119. Sumit Chakravartty, Editor, Mainstream,  New Delhi
  120. Suraya Islam, coordinator of Aaghaz-e-Dosti, Karachi
  121. Swati Sharan, writer/publisher, Hamilton, Canada
  122. Syed Harir Shah, disaster management practitioner, Chitral
  123. Syed Jarrar Shah, business professional, Lahore
  124. Syeda Shiwal Raza, student, University of the Punjab, Lahore
  125. Taimur Kamal, activist, Peshawar
  126. Tanveer Jahan, activist, Lahore
  127. Dr Tariq Rahman, Pride of Performance, Sitara-i-Imtiaz, Dean School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and Social Sciences / Education, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore
  128. Tripta Wahi, social activist and retd Associate Professor, University of Delhi
  129. Umer Ali, journalist, Islamabad
  130. Urwah Sultana, Voice Society for the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons, Lahore
  131. Vaishali Patil, activist, Raigad, India
  132. Vaishnavi, writer and filmmaker, Founder, Women Making Films India
  133. Ved Pratap Vaidik, journalist & peace activist, New Delhi
  134. Vijay Naik, Convenor, Indian Association of Foreign Affairs Correspondents, New Delhi
  135.  Vijay Satokar, consultant, Press Trust of India, New Delhi
  136. Vipul Rikhi, writer and singer, Bangalore
  137. Vineeta Pandey, The Pioneer newspaper, New Delhi
  138. Vinita Agrawal, author, Mumbai
  139. Vinod Sharma, Regional President, South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA), New Delhi
  140. Vinod Varshney, Journalist, New Delhi
  141. Wagma Feroz, Chairperson, Da Torsaro Saadar, Peshawar
  142. Wajid Shamsul Hassan, former Pakistani diplomat, London
  143. Yuki Ellias, actor, Mumbai
  144. Zaibun Nisa Hussain, teacher, ACE International Academy, Rawalpindi
  145. Zain Alavi, Non-Executive Chairman, Muller and Phipps Pakistan Pvt Ltd
  146. Zarminae Ansari, architect/ writer/ publisher, Paris
  147. Zeeshan Majeed, entrepreneur, Kolkata
  148. Zehra Arshad, activist, Islamabad
  149. Zia Ur Rehman, journalist, Karachi
  150. Zunaira Qayum Ali, student, Forman Christian College University, Lahore

As of May 8, 2017

 

credit : Aman ki Asha