Punjab-based Groups Call for Peace Amid Escalating India-Pakistan Tensions
In a press statement, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan), condemned the Union government’s actions which it claimed was “fuelling war hysteria” and called upon the public to stand united against this unjust and fratricidal war.
The Wire Staff
12:36 AM May 09, 2025 IST
A view of a blackout at the Golden Temple premises, amid escalating tension between India and Pakistan, in Amritsar. Photo: PTI
New Delhi: As the hostile rhetoric surges between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of Pahalgam terror attack, the brunt of the escalations is being borne by border states on both sides. On the Indian side, cross-border shellings have raised anxieties among residents living close to the Line of Control (LoC), especially in Jammu and Kashmir, as well as in Punjab. In light of the situation, several organisations have come forward to urge people to demand peace, not war.
In a press statement titled “No War, Only Peace”, Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugrahan), a farmers group primarily operating in Punjab, has condemned the Union government’s response following Pahalgam, claiming it was “fuelling war hysteria” and called upon the public to stand united against this unjust and fratricidal war.
The group’s state president Joginder Singh Ugrahan and senior vice president Jhanda Singh Jethuke said that while the Pahalgam incident was deeply tragic and condemnable, “using it as a pretext to wage war against a neighboring country reflects the Modi government’s narrow communal agenda.”
The statement further added that a war between the highly armed forces of both countries will sacrifice the youth and devastate the Punjabi and Kashmiri communities on both sides. The leaders warned that Indian strikes inside Pakistan could trigger a full-scale war, the consequences of which will be borne heavily by the people.
Emphasising that war is not a solution but a distraction from “real issues – such as injustice, inequality, and corporate-driven policies – exacerbated by communal politics disguised as nationalism”, they urged peace-loving citizens to mobilise and raise voices against war and for peace.
Surkh Leeh, a communist magazine based in Punjab, also put out a statement condemning the border situation. “Pahalgam incident is definitely condemnable. People and Kashmiri people across the country have expressed deeply saddened over this. Whether someone's hand behind this incident, or it's the act of a radical group. But what does this insane act of pushing millions of people from both countries to war? What is the meaning of taking innocent innocent? What is the justification of both countries to be weakened already weakened economies?” read a Facebook post by Surkh Leeh.
Criticising the Union government for using the tensions as a method for communal nationalism, the statement added, “By doing this Modi government's 56-inch chest is displayed. Even at this time the radical communal crowds of RSS and BJP have started raising the statement that the army will deal with those outside the border and we will see those within the border.”
Tensions escalated to a six-year high as India and Pakistan engaged in military operations against each other.
At least 16 civilians have been killed and many others injured on the Indian side as a result of shellings from across the Pakistan border, according to the defence ministry. Cross-firing, shellings and missile strikes are still underway, with newer reports coming from Punjab, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's military official has claimed that at least 31 civilians have been killed in Indian strikes.