Pakistani, Indian activists mark Japan atomic bombings with cross-border teach-ins : Press Release
Global Zero calls nuclear weapons ‘an affront to human rights’
Hundreds of Global Zero activists in Pakistan and India organized teach-ins throughout both countries, including Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Faisalabad, New Delhi and Bangalore as part of a coordinated cross-border effort to mark the 72nd anniversary of the atomic bombings of Japan.Participants engaged in public dialogue about the growing risks of nuclear weapons use, the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences of such use, and the ethical imperatives to eliminate these weapons.
“Nuclear weapons are designed to completely destroy entire cities at the push of a button. The use of even a small number of these weapons in India and Pakistan would have horrific consequences for the entire planet. Even a ‘limited’ nuclear exchange could disrupt global climate and food production so severely that 2 billion people would die of famine. Contemplating their use is suicidal,” said Haneen Khalid, a field organizer with Global Zero. “World leaders must understand that these barbaric weapons jeopardize our homes, our communities and our safety every day. The only way to eliminate that risk is to eliminate these weapons. We need leaders who are going to work every day to prevent another Hiroshima, not make one more likely.”
In Pakistan, the teach-ins were coordinated in partnership with several youth-oriented organisations, including Global Shapers, Carnelian, AIESEC, WeCreate Center and Daftarkhwan. Prominent speakers included Dr. Aasim Sajjad Akhtar, political activist and senior academic at Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad. The teach-ins happened on the eve of the statement issued by the Pakistan Foreign Office on 7 August, declaring that “Pakistan reaffirms its commitment to nuclear disarmament in a way that promotes peace, security and stability at the regional and global levels.”