Statement of Aaghaz-e-Dosti on missing report of Raza Khan, Convener (Pakistan) of Aaghaz-e-Dosti

Aaghaz-e-Dosti is concerned about the whereabouts of Raza Mehmood Khan, a Pakistani peace activist who is also our convener. It has been reported that Raza Khan went missing on the evening of 2nd December 2017. He was last seen at the end of a talk he organized on the issue of extremism at his office. The Lahore police subsequently registered an FIR for the missing person case on the complaint received by his family and friends there. Since then, there has been no trace of him while the investigation is still on going.

Aaghaz-e-Dosti is a joint collaborative venture between India and Pakistan which was founded in 2012 with a team of volunteers, mostly youth and students who were advocating for global peace. Aaghaz-e-Dosti is an apolitical initiative that does not attach itself to any political ideology except for the ideology of peace and humanity. Aaghaz-e-Dosti members from both India and Pakistan have complete faith in the constitutions of their own countries and their affiliation with this initiative is voluntary on the basis of their belief in the universal values of human rights, to which all countries and people of the world are committed.

While being deeply concerned and in pain, Aaghaz-e-Dosti acknowledges Raza Khan’s valuable efforts to work for peace education, mostly among school students as a core work of the Aaghaz-e-Dosti for Indo-Pak Friendship. Raza joined Aaghaz-e-Dosti in year 2015 and was already involved in activism at a local level in Pakistan for different issues concerning Pakistan.

Aaghaz-e-Dosti extends its gratitude to everyone who are supporting and helping to find Raza Khan. We have complete faith in the working of state agencies and are hopeful that Raza will be back soon with the efforts of the Government of Pakistan and its state institutions. 

To contact us, email at aaghazedosti@gmail.com 

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On Hiroshima Day, Aaghaz-e-Dosti organised “Chiraagh-e-Aman Jalao” at River Raavi, Lahore

Aaghaz-e-Dosti Lahore chapter organized ‘Chiraagh-e-Aman Jalao’ on 6^th August 2017. Aaghaz-e-dosti believes in peace and harmony in South Asian Region and the whole world, collectively. Mainly there are two reasons why Chiraagh-e-aman Jalao was organized. Firstly, in August 2017, Pakistan and India are going to be 70 years old and still the two neighboring countries are living in conflict.

Even after 70 years of birth, Pakistan and India needs to resolve all the contemporary conflicts including border conflict. We are gathering at river Ravi, which symbolize that future of India and Pakistan must flow together like waves of river and with the virtue to serve humanity. 

We gathered on 6th August as 6^th and 9^th August 1945 has been one of the darkest days in world’s history when during the final stage of World War II, the United States dropped nuclear weapons on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The two bombings, which killed at least 129,000 people, remain the only use of nuclear weapons for warfare in history. We hope that despite being nuclear empowered nations, India and Pakistan will take all steps to resolve their conflicts and to provide future generation a better region that will be free from any kind of violence, hatred, conflict and war. Our future must grow together. 

This, Chiraagh-e-Aman was a very tiny memorial for all violence and hatred provoking incidents resulting in numerous victims. Aaghaz-e-dosti calls on all actors to regurgitate the significant responsibility of the States in the prevention and resolution of conflicts. AED also stresses the importance of peace and humanity. AED urges all actors to increase their inputs for sustaining peace.

Aaghaz-e-dosti demands both Pakistani and Indian State to back the treaty banning nuclear weapons. It’s been more than seven decades when the world has witnessed the macro destruction due to nuclear weapons, now it is the time to learn from the her-story. Both nations need and dreams for the freedom from poverty. We demand for a welfare state instead of a security state. People are still deprived from pure drinking water, health facilities, food, shelter etc. Both countries need to relax visa policy and increase trade, religious tourism, cultural exchange etc. For emphasizing on this AED called the both nations to join to lit the lamp, a lamp of hope, harmony and humanity.

Aaghaz-e-Dosti (lit. beginning of Friendship) aims to eradicate mutual hatred and suspicion to create unwavering bonds of peace and friendship. This is because we believe that miscommunication and lack of communication has helped sustain the conflict.  To meet our objective, Aaghaz-e-Dosti has taken several initiatives ranging from interactive sessions in schools to public demonstrations, from art-based initiatives to writing articles and issuing statements to disseminate the misrepresented voice across the border. 

Aaghaz-e-Dosti seeks to enhance people-to-people relations. It seeks to become the medium to discover and recognize the misrepresented reality on the other side of the border. Aaghaz-e-Dosti was started in 2012 by Mission Bhartiyam, an India-based youth organisation. It has collaborated with several organisations in the past but from May 2017, Aaghaz-e-Dosti became a joint initiative of Mission Bhartiyam and Pakistan-based “Hum Sab Aik Hain”.

‘Hum Sab Aik Hain’ is an organization formed by a group of young people based in Lahore. The objective of this organization is to promote peace and harmony among the masses by highlighting, advocating and organizing towards discourses and movements to bring about Socio-Political and Economic changes required for a peaceful society.