South Asian left statements: No to an India-Pakistan war, yes to de-escalation and peace
[Editor’s note: Activists from Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation and Haqooq-e-Khalq Party (Pakistan) will be speaking at Ecosocialism 2025, September 5-7, Naarm/Melbourne, Australia. For more information on the conference visit ecosocialism.org.au.]
Opt for de-escalation and diplomacy, avoid another India-Pakistan war
Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation
The Government of India and Indian Armed Forces have informed the country about the demolition of nine terror-training camps across Pakistan past midnight in the early hours of 7 May. The Indian authorities have attributed the operation to credible intelligence inputs and have described it as a precise and restrained response carried out with a calibrated and non-escalatory approach. Pakistan however talks of civilian casualties including women and children. In the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, there are already reports of cross-border firing and several civilian deaths in Jammu and Kashmir.
Clearly there are alarming signs of yet another Indo-Pak war looming large. All efforts must be made to prevent a war between the two nuclear-powered neighbours and explore the whole range of non-military diplomatic options to curb terrorism and deescalate tension.
The Government of India has also announced an extensive exercise of mock drills in more than two hundred centres across the country. The last time mock drills had happened on such a big scale was in 1971 when India and Pakistan had actually been involved in a major war. While mock drills are techniques of bolstering security by spreading public alertness, we must make sure that such drills do not vitiate India's internal climate and create a jingoistic clamour for war.
The name Operation Sindoor ostensibly invokes the agenda of justice for the women who have lost their husbands in the terror attack in Pahalgam. Justice for the victim families calls upon us to respect their voices, their call for maintaining peace and harmony and their concerns about the multiple lapses that enabled the terrorists to carry out the heinous attack. Action must be taken against the troll army and influential political voices who are indulging in hate-mongering against courageous women like Himanshi Narwal and Shaila Negi.
In the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and now Operation Sindoor, internet is flooded with claims, counterclaims and fake news. While checking the flow of fake news and misinformation, the right to freedom of expression and dissent must not be suppressed. The fabricated charges against Bhojpuri folk singer Neha Singh Rathore, Lucknow University professor and political satirist Madri Kakoti, digital news channel 4PM network and now the 'disappearance' of the YouTube channel of journalist Punya Prasun Bajpai point to a new phase of heightened attacks on dissent by terming it anti-national.
We call upon the government of India to stop this policy of suppression and appeal to all justice-loving Indians to stay firm and united against all kinds of terror, hate and repression and continue to uphold peace, harmony and democracy. We also call upon the government of Pakistan to stop the terror camps in Pakistan, and appeal to the people of Pakistan to raise their voice against terror and war. Across the India-Pakistan border, let us say a loud no to another India-Pakistan war and mount pressure for bilateral de-escalation of tension.
HKP strongly condemns the missile strikes launched by India across nine locations in Pakistan, killing and injuring dozens of civilians.
We decry the loss of innocent lives in this deadly and dangerous escalation in hostilities and call upon both states to exercise restraint and immediately stop any actions that could harm ordinary people on both sides and threaten nuclear war.
While both countries bear responsibility for proxy warfare, the Modi regime has clearly instrumentalized the Pahalgam tragedy to divert from failures in Kashmir, boost domestic popularity, and advance strategic goals regarding the Indus River system and regional hegemony.
We urge Pakistan to uphold international humanitarian law when protecting its people against aggression, rather than mimic India’s senseless aggression against civilians.
Continuing the war will only result in more loss of lives. We demand an independent inquiry into the Pahalgam attack to establish facts and accountability.
A durable peace requires respecting sovereignty, ending proxy warfare, and demilitarizing Kashmir.
We call on Pakistan's government to restore communication platforms, release political prisoners, and enable free flow of information during this crisis.
Any war between nuclear-armed nations would be catastrophic regionally and globally. Progressive forces throughout South Asia must unite against war hysteria and work toward a peaceful future
Urgent plea: Stop the war immediately
Southasia* Peace Action Network
We, at the Southasia* Peace Action Network, Sapan, make an urgent plea to India and Pakistan to stop the war immediately.
We stand in solidarity with all those categorically condemning any form of violent extremism or ‘terrorism’ and against the cowardly targeting of unarmed civilians, for any reason.
The communal and toxic weaponizing of religions currently feeding frenzy in Pakistan and India amplified by media and social media, gives the illusion of a consensus for war.
We urge the international community to stand in solidarity with the peoples of Southasia.
We call upon journalists and social media users to engage with their platforms responsibly and ethically and not fan the fires.
The governments of India and Pakistan must behave responsibly. Any war between these two nuclear-armed nations would be disastrous not just for the people of those countries but for the region and for global peace.
We therefore urge the people of India and Pakistan to hold their governments accountable and resist any speech or actions that feed war hysteria.
We call on all those who believe that peace, not war, is the way forward, to speak out against the politics of hate, violence, and vengeance, and to stand up for dialogue, cooperation, and a shared future of peace and co-existence.
* Note on ‘Southasia’ as one word… Because history, geography and shared struggles say so.
Calling for de-escalation and peace between India-Pakistan
Asia Europe People’s Forum
The AEPF strongly condemns the terror attacks in Pahalgam-Kashmir on April 25, 2025. We condole with the families of the 26 civilian victims of this heinous crime.
We call for credible investigation into this crime whereby all involved be brought to book. Terrorism in all forms is a criminal activity and has no place in any society and we believe the international community needs to address this issue collectively.
We are witnessing an escalation of war like situation in the Sub-Continent and raised militarist rhetoric as both sides have taken steps to curtail all diplomatic engagements and hurt each other.
We believe that wars have serious long term impact on ordinary people and unknown consequences. The AEPF appeals that the Governments of India and Pakistan dial back from these tensions and that all stakeholders assist to de-escalate the atmosphere of war and tensions.
We in AEPF appeal the Governments of India and Pakistan to exercise restraint in this tense atmosphere. We believe that ‘This is not the age for war’ and that all governments take steps to practice this important dictum.