Bridging Borders: A Plea for Peace between India and Pakistan

The Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation urges the UN to facilitate improved India-Pakistan relations to ease visa restrictions. The foundation highlights the shared cultural and familial bonds between the two nations and emphasizes that restoring visas for family reunions and cultural exchanges will promote peace and stability.

A non-profit organization in Lahore has reached out to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, urging his intervention to ease strained India-Pakistan relations, thereby enabling millions to cross borders more freely. The Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation's letter, penned by chief Imtiaz Rasheed Qureshi, highlights the severe impact of prolonged visa restrictions on citizens of both countries, emphasizing that these limitations hinder family reunification, religious travel, medical urgency, cultural exchanges, and essential people-to-people interactions.

The letter underscores the historic, cultural, familial, and emotional bonds shared by the two nations' populations despite ongoing political tensions. It calls on the UN to support a structured and sustained peace initiative, advocating for the restoration of visas to foster human connectivity, thereby enhancing regional stability.

As cross-border relations dip following recent escalations, including the Pahalgam terror attack and India's Operation Sindoor, the foundation appeals to the UN to address this humanitarian issue with urgency, fairness, and dedication to global peace and cooperation principles.

(With inputs from agencies.)