A Peace Rally in London, demanding Stop Genocide of Pashtoons
[22.Sep.2008 - 16:12]London-Sep 21st, 2008:On the eve of International Day of Peace and protesting against ongoing War in Pashtoon regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan, Pashtun Peace Form (PPF), UK organised a peace rally in front of the British Parliament and demanded the United Nations, United Kingdom, United States and members of international community to launch viable strategies for bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and NWFP (Pakhtunkhwa) by engaging and empowering Pashtun social and political leadership. The rally was also joined in by Stop The War Coalition and people from different walks of life and demanded the United Nations to name year 2010 as ¡Bacha Khan Year of Global Peace¢. Rally emphasised that if United Nations name year 2010 as ¡Bacha khan Year of Global Peace¢, the philosophy of non-violence will once again resuscitated and will not only be beneficial for the stability of the pashtun areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan but will also promote regional and global security. Rally continued for two hours in front of the British Parliament and the participants unanimously passed a draft resolution of their demands to be submitted to the Government of UK and marched to the 10 Downing street. Speaking on the occasion, speakers emphasized that due to the absence of representative media and portrayal of pashtuns as extremists and terrorists by the state media due to its deep involvement in the Afghan conflict for their own illegitimate ends as a smokescreen. Today the world knows Pashtuns and Afghans as terrorists, imposed war on Afghans, but the international community does not know that Afghans are not only the heroes of sword and fighting, they are also hero of peace and non violence. The example is that of their great hero and Afghan pride, Khan Abdul Ghafar Khan. During his life he continued his peaceful struggle, even though he suffered great tortures and long imprisonment.If Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King and Gandhi are the figures of non- violence in history, who can forget Bacha Khan? Participants of the rally demanded that parties involved in the conflict in Afghanistan and the Pashtun areas in Pakistan should stop killing the Afghans and Pashtuns in proxy wars and should reconcile their interests through non-violent and political means. They demanded the United Nations to formulate a new strategy in Afghanistan to put an end to the bloodshed and instability. Speakers asked the international community to strengthen both the NWFP (Pakhtunkhwa) and local Pashtun leaders at village and neighbourhood levels in order to put an end to the influence of militants and outlaws. They also demanded the UN and international community to immediately provide shelter, food and immigration opportunities and refugee status to the hundred of thousands of Internally Displaced People (IDP¢s) of FATA and NWFP (Pakhtunkhwa) province of Pakistan on priority basis. The participants emphasized on the government of Pakistan to abolish Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), notorious and anti-human laws prevailing in the Pashtoon tribal areas of Pakistan and to extend Political Parties Act to FATA, form independent legislative councils and to give representation to people of FATA in the NWFP Assembly. Rally protested against the century long violation of human rights in FATA and demanded that UN and international community should exert pressure on the government of Pakistan to do away with the colonial pattern of governance in Pashtun tribal belt and democratise and develop the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Participants demanded that the Government of Pakistan should abolish or amend the notorious Frontier Crimes regulation (FCR) according to the wishes of FATA people and extend the fundamental human rights to the FATA population. Speakers called on the international community to encourage the Government of Pakistan for adopting a humanistic and civilized approach than mere assigning a peripheral and strategic role to FATA in the affairs of the state. Speakers voiced that Pashtuns and Afghans demand the international community to divert their investment from war to reconstruction and development of Pashtun people by heavily investment in education, healthcare and small industries so that the people and especially the youth are engaged in meaningful and positive activities and don¢t fall prey to the subversive agendas of the extremist network. At the end of demonstrations went in form of a rally to Downing Street and submitted a resolution to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. 
- Zia Ur Rehman
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