Indo-Pak civil society forum backs Gurmehar

The Pakistan-India Peoples' Forum for Peace and Democracy said Gurmehar was 'underlining the futility of war'.

New Delhi, Mar 1: An Indo-Pak civil society forum on Wednesday came out in support of Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur and condemned the RSS-affiliated ABVP for 'targeting' her.

In a statement, the Pakistan-India Peoples' Forum for Peace and Democracy said, "Through her statement 'Pakistan did not kill my dad. War killed him' she was underlining the futility of war."

"The reality is that war and hostile relations kill people while lakhs suffer. India and Pakistan along with other super powers need to make a move towards living in peace. The ruling alliance is openly supporting ABVP and hounding a young girl," it added.

Gurmehar, daughter of martyr Captain Mandeep Singh, had recently started the campaign 'I am not afraid of ABVP' following violence at Ramjas college. The campaign went viral and received massive support from students across universities.

She, however, pulled out of the campaign on Tuesday after receiving 'rape threats' allegedly from ABVP members. Ramjas college had last week witnessed large-scale violence between members of the AISA and the ABVP.

The genesis of the clash was an invite to JNU students Umar Khalid and Shehla Rashid to address a seminar on 'Culture of Protests', which was withdrawn by the college authorities following opposition by ABVP.

PTI