Indians and Pakistanis hold joint rallies for peace in Washington D.C and Chicago

Indians and Pakistanis hold joint rallies for peace in Washington D.C and Chicago

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For the first time, Pakistanis and Indians marched together in Washington, D.C., where demonstrators marched to both embassies. On the same day, June 8, there was a parallel rally in Chicago.

In Chicago, many Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs marched together in a rally organized by Friends of Bush, despite the heat. Children carried banners proclaiming: We want Peace, Not War. Pakistanis included Syed Omar, an organizer, and Hameedullah Khan, who is the chairman of Pakistani American Association of North America (PAANA). From the Sikh community, members of Gurdwara Sahib participated, including the Gurdwaras president, Balwinder Singh. Dr. Barinder Ram Laamba (of SAAGAR) and many members of the Hindu community were present. Many shouted, We Want Peace.

After the rally, Syed Omar said, We should have learned our lesson from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Other speakers also protested arms buildups and conventional war.

In Washington D.C, rally participants presented petitions to both embassies. Lubna Ejaz, president of the Pakistan Association of the Greater Washington Metropolitan Area, spoke in favor of diplomatic efforts to resolve differences and against military budgets.

2002-06-19

23

110

1

Urdu

Pakistan Post

briefs

Indians and Pakistanis hold joint rallies for peace in Washington D.C and Chicago

Rehan Ansari

born-digital

article

yes

no

2002-06-19