FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Appeal for India and Pakistan to Stop Hostilities and Talk Gains Global Traction
Nearly 7,500 have signed the petition demanding de-escalation, dialogue, and regional peace for Southasia*
An urgent call for peace between India and Pakistan issued has gained thousands of supporters since it was issued on 7 May amidst growing military tensions and toxic rhetoric on both sides.
Posted by the Southasia Peace Action Network (Sapan), a cross-border civil society initiative of peace advocates, journalists, artists, educators, and concerned citizens, the online appeal titled “India, Pakistan: Stop the Hostilities” has received more than 7,500 verified signatures at last count.
The appeal is a clarion call from civil society across borders urging an immediate halt to the dangerous escalation between the two nuclear-armed nations.
“In this game of war, it is the people who pay the price,” reads the statement, initially endorsed at a packed cross-border online meeting convened by Indian activist Dr. Sandeep Pandey on May 7, 2025, and later posted on Change.org by Sapan.
With attendees forced to rotate out to make room for speakers, the 7 May meeting demonstrated the urgency and volume of grassroots concern. The message was unified and unmistakable: Ordinary citizens of India and Pakistan want peace, not war, despite optics to the contrary conveyed by mainstream and social media.
The appeal categorically condemns all forms of violent extremism and terrorism, particularly the targeting of unarmed civilians. It warns against the communal frenzy and media-amplified war-mongering on both sides that has dangerously inflamed tensions.
The petition urges the people of India and Pakistan “to hold their governments accountable and resist any speech or action that feeds war hysteria”. It also calls on journalists and digital influencers “to wield their platforms with responsibility and resist becoming amplifiers of conflict.”
Signatories include leading academics, journalists, artists, activists, and peacebuilders from across Southasia and the diaspora, including physicists Pervez Hoodbhoy and A.H. Nayyar, filmmakers Anand Patwardhan and Nishtha Jain, historian Ayesha Jalal, journalists Anuradha Bhasin, Kanak Mani Dixit, and Marvi Sirmed, South African activist Ela Gandhi, and human rights activists like Lalita Ramdas and Sheema Kermani, among the thousands of others.
The petition also strongly opposes the weaponization of shared resources and historic bilateral treaties such as the Indus Waters Treaty (1960) and the Shimla Accord (1972), calling for their continued respect as pillars of regional stability and diplomacy.
Public voices, shared grief
Citizens from around the world have added their voices.
“Only the innocent bleed, never the powerful. Let wisdom prevail before another mother mourns a child,” wrote Saira from Hopkinton.
“A war only makes weapons manufacturers wealthier. People in both countries need employment, healthcare, shelter, education,” posted Jaideep from Pleasanton.
Atif from Columbia adds, “A region of two billion people holds its collective breath. They deserve to live in peace and prosperity, instead of worrying about their children's safety!.”
What’s Next?
Sapan, along with co-signatories and supporters, urges the international community, especially global peacebuilders and civil society, to step up in solidarity and amplify this collective voice from Southasia.
Nearly 7,500 signatures and growing, the petition remains open for further endorsement.
Media Contact: southasiapeaceactionnetwork@gmail.com
Instagram: @southasiapeace
*Why 'Southasia' as one word? Because history, geography, and shared struggles say so. It’s not just a spelling choice — it is a political and a poetic one.