In the midst of foggy disinformation and frenzied nationalist war narratives, this webinar—hosted by the Pakistan‑India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD)—aims to reclaim the peace constituency and surface the tough, shared questions that often get lost in aggressive state rhetoric.
Counting the Cost of Pakistan‑India ‘War’: This webinar will focus on the Humanitarian, Social, Political, Military, and Economic costs of terror, violence and the surge in military escalation between India and Pakistan that brought South Asia to the brink of an all‑engulfing war under the shadow of a nuclear mushroom cloud. This moment is not about which nation scored; it is about re‑centering the discussion on people and their perspectives. It is to bring from the margins those whose lives are reduced to collateral in Jammu & Kashmir, the military manoeuvres co‑opting gender, the fragile ecosystems being turned into war-zones, the weaponisation of treaties on water sharing, the distortion in budgets, and the subversion of constitutional rights and democracy. The war also is a war of hate, of manufactured enemies, of demonising entire communities. The webinar seeks to confront not just war at the borders but war within too.
We will explore:
- Voices from the margins—where lives are reduced to collateral in Jammu & Kashmir
- How military operations co‑opt gender narratives
- The transformation of fragile ecosystems into warzones
- Weaponisation of water‑sharing treaties
- The impact of war narratives on common citizens
- Budget distortions and the subversion of constitutional rights and democracy
- Hate‑driven narratives, manufactured enemies, wide‑scale demonization of minority communities in both countries
- Not just war at the borders, but internal wars—between communities, within minds, and across social divides
Speakers:
- Anuradha Bhasin – Journalist & Editor (Jammu & Kashmir, India)
- Saba Gul Khattak – Academic (Pakistan)
- Radha Kumar – Academic and Author (India)
- Rao Farman Ali – Writer & Journalist (Jammu & Kashmir, India)
- Tanveer Ahmed – Journalist & Activist (Jammu & Kashmir, Pakistan)
- Taimur Rehman – Academic & Musician (Pakistan)
- Shahrukh Alam – Lawyer & Activist (India)
- Owais Tohid – Journalist (Pakistan)
- Ziya‑us Salam – Author & Journalist (India)