India-Pakistan human chain to protest Mumbai blasts

New Delhi: Raising slogans promising support to each other against terrorism, several Indian and Pakistani citizens Saturday gathered near Rajghat here and formed a human chain to protest the July 13 Mumbai blasts that left at least 19 people dead and injured 130.

The event was organised by various NGOs from both sides of the border. Holding posters and flowers, those gathered raised slogans like "Atankwad ho barbad, humari dosti zindabad" (Terrorism should be destroyed, long live our friendship).

"It's high time that peace prevailed in both the countries and I think that is not possible without the cooperation of the citizens," said Sheema Kirmani of Tehrik-e-Niswan, an NGO from Karachi holding a poster that read "Shak ke bavandar se bahar aao, milkar shanti failao" (Come out of the whirlpool of suspicion, spread peace together).

Agreed Faisal Khan of Delhi-based NGO the National Alliance of People's Movement, who said that cowardly attacks like the one in Mumbai could never rattle the strong Indian democratic and secular setup.

"They (the perpetrators) think that such attacks would result in communal violence in the country. But they fail miserably every time," Khan told IANS.

The participants agreed that terrorism plagued both the nations and it was time that people got together and cleared misunderstandings, if any existed.

Theatre person and political analyst Anwer Jaferi from Karachi said: "Same kind of attacks happen in Pakistan too and these are just attempts to spread hatred between the two communities and countries."

Jaferi said his theatre group was performing an anti-war play in different Indian cities when the blast took place in Mumbai. So, they decided to join the event.

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Picture of the Day

Defence Minister of Mozambique Filipe Jacinto Nyusi laying wreath at Amar Jawan Jyoti, in New Delhi on June 28, 2011.

(Photo: Fulchand)