Global peace from Nepal activists arrive in Karachi

KARACHI: A six-member peace delegation from Nepal arrived here on Sunday to take part in a global peace march “Jai Jagat 2020”.

Karachi Press Club hosted a lunch in honor of the guests, which was also attended by the representatives of media civil society organisations. Jai Jagat is an international campaign to respond to the deepening economic, social and environmental crisis. The campaign is an urgent appeal for people to transform and achieve one planet one people.

The themes of the global march are: Eradicating poverty, eliminating of social exclusion, eameliorating the climate crisis, halting conflict and violence.

Acting President of KPC Saeed Sarbazi, senior member of the club Tahir Hassan Khan welcomed the delegation.

Speaking at the KPC reception, a member of the delegation Jagat Bahadur Basnet said the most of delegation members belong to land rights movement in Nepal. The Nepalese peasants are facing poverty due to lack of resources and opportunities. He said the are the participants of Jai Jagat March as participants from other countries have also gone to some other countries.

Speaking in the occasion Dr. Riaz Ahmed Shaikh, head of Social Sciences at Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST) said South Asia Foundation. Exchange of students was one of the activities. Health issue is serious as earlier Pakistani patients were going to India for treatment.

Karamat Ali, Executive Director of Pakistanis Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) underlined the need for revival of SAARC and said the last summit was held in 2014 and the 2016 Summit was to held in Islamabad bit could not happen.

He said civil society has a platform of People’s SAARC, which meets on the occasion of official SAARC summit. Ms. Farhat Parween of the NOW Communities pointed out that South Asia is the worst region where women suffer a lot and needs to be addressed on priority basis.

Saeed Baloch, Secretary General of Pakistan Fisheefolk Forum (PFF) said fishermen of both Pakistan and India are facing problems as they are arrested and their launches are confiscated.

Imran Sherwani, a senior journalist said the media of South Asian countries should work together.

Former Administrator of KMC Faheemuz Zaman Khan, former Chief of Citizens-Police Liaison Committee Nazim F. Haji, Zahid Farooq of Urban Resource Centre, senior trade union leader Habibuddin Junaidi, Qazi Khizar, Nasir Mansoor and Shujauddin were also present on the occasion.

The Nepalese delegation included two women and four malea. They are: Ms. Geeta Pandit, Mr. Bhawani Ghimire, Jagat Bahadur Basnet, Jagat Bahadur Deuja, Lyam Bahadur Darjee, Somparsad Bhandari and Ghimire Bhabani.

“Jai Jagat’ means ‘victory of the world’. It is in line with the concept of Sarvodaya (‘well-being of all’) that was put forward by Mahatma Gandhi.

The Jai Jagat 2020 is a five-year programme with multi-country engagements which are linked through the Communication Hub and through the Ekta network, comprising a number of international events that were being organized during 2016 – 2018, and culminating in a Global March in Geneva in 2019-2020.

The biggest action is the Global March that commenced from Rajghat in New Delhi, on December 10th, 2019, the year of Gandhi’s 150th Birth Centenary. It will be led by a group of 150 youths from different countries, which will traverse 8400 kilometre by van and by foot from Gandhi’s resting place in India and will arrive in Geneva, Switzerland on the 19th of September, 2020.