At the stroke of midnight: Activists on the India-Pakistan border to jointly celebrate independence
They will call on both countries to initiate dialogue and work towards a shared peace.
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At midnight on August 14, hundreds of Pakistani and Indian peace activists will converge at the Wagah-Attari border with candles, placards and music to jointly celebrate Pakistan and India’s independence days after nearly a decade. This year, I hope to be among them.
The tradition of a joint celebration began in 1996, following a 1995 visit to Lahore by the late Delhi-based journalist Kuldip Nayar who met with like-minded Pakistanis. They agreed to organise an annual candle-lit vigil at Wagah border to send a message of peace on both sides.
In August 2018, Nayar handed over the baton to the youth group Aaghaz-e-Dosti, flagging them off as they set out for the Attari border from Delhi. He passed away less than 10 days later, on August 23.
A long gap
The Pakistani activists will join this border gathering after a long gap, having been denied permission for several years.
Happy that the permission has finally been granted, Imtiaz Alam, Secretary General of the South Asia Free Media Association, said the aim is to “reiterate our position” calling for peace and dialogue.
The tradition of meeting at the border at midnight on August 15 had been “discontinued because of our polluted political environment”, he told Sapan News. Peace activists “are now getting some space”, he said, and hoped they...
