India-Pakistan: Justice, not militarisation, must guide the region’s future

Sapan statement on the India-Pakistan situation: Justice, not militarisation, must guide the region’s future

Issued by: Southasia Peace Action Network

12 May 2025

Unequivocally condemning violence and the targetting of innocent lives, the Southasia Peace Action Network (Sapan) welcomes the ceasefire between India and Pakistan on 10 May 2025. We reiterate our belief that this relief highlights a deeper, persistent crisis. The shelling and widespread blackouts along the Line of Control and the international border in the days before the ceasefire, and immediately afterwards, plunged civilian populations into fear and uncertainty.

These views came out strongly at a Sapan meeting on 11 May 2025, a day after the ceasefire, with peacemongers from across Southasia and the diaspora coming together holding varied perspectives yet sharing a firm and unified belief that Southasia deserves peace.

Communities in border administrative divisions on both sides, such as Jammu, Mirpur, Kashmir, Muzzaffarabad, Gujranwala, Jalandhar, Bahalwapur, Jodhpur, Lahore, Kangra and many others continue to bear the brunt. Due to rising tensions between India and Pakistan, security has been tightened along the traditionally open India-Nepal border, causing disruptions for those border communities as well.

For millions living in these areas, the everyday reality for those few days of a war-like situation consisted of blackouts, loud sirens, destroyed infrastructure and psychological trauma. Tragically, in some areas, displacement and loss of civilian lives have also occurred. These borderlands, typically treated as mere strategic zones, are vibrant communities in themselves; nationalistic agendas and militarised politics are compromising their rights, futures and dignity.

It is encouraging to hear that the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) on both sides plan to communicate with each other regularly. We urge these meetings to commence without delay.

However, immediate attention must be given to the loss of human lives and the damage to infrastructure on both sides. The governments of both India and Pakistan should focus on the immediate rehabilitation of their respective citizens and support the recovery of normal life in the affected areas.

We are alarmed by the intensifying rhetoric of securitisation, militarisation and the looming threat of nuclear escalation. The prospect of a nuclear war in Southasia* is no longer a distant hypothetical idea. This is a path that endangers not only human lives but also the region’s fragile ecosystems and environmental balance.

Of equal concern to us is the erosion of trust and dialogue between the decision-makers of India and Pakistan, reflected in the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty and the Shimla Agreement, tools that once offered hope for conflict resolution. 

Both sides should focus on establishing fair mechanisms for sharing resources and work jointly to solve long-standing disputes and combat all forms of extremism in the borderlands and other conflict areas, respecting the genuine will of the people in these areas.

It was also disheartening to see that, during heightened tensions, medical visas, as well as visas for women and children with family on the other side, were cancelled by both sides. We call for these to be urgently restored on humanitarian grounds.

We request that the mainstream media on both sides bear critical responsibility. Rather than amplifying hostility, hate speech, sensationalism or unverified news, they must prioritise responsible reporting and elevate voices from affected communities.

We call on decision-makers in India and Pakistan to take a step towards sustainable peace and sign a Non-aggression Pact at the earliest. We believe that cooperation, rather than conflict, is the way forward.

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