Venue: Gandhi Peace Foundation, 221/223, Deen Dayal Upadhayay Marg, New Delhi

Date: 17th February 2008

Time: 10am - 5pm

Peace Mumbai organised a preparatory meeting to discuss the concept and issues to be raised during the Peace and Justice II Conference proposed in 2008.

Post 2001, there has been a remarkable shift in India's foreign policy; the US has managed to draw India closer into its sphere of influence. India has also moved closer and closer to the US and Israel on the questions of Iraq, Palestine and Iran.

Peace Mumbai is a broad based and open collective that links with national, regional and international campaign events and activities on peace and justice issues. This group continues to keep itself updated with the current political issues, on developments in South Asia and tries to sharpen its positions and link with friends and networks across South Asia. It had organised a continental conference on Peace and Justice in February 2006, in Mumbai, which aimed to mobilise, and build up the regional movement against the war. The conference was attended by over 300 people.

Peace Mumbai has been effectively working on the resolution adopted during the conference. The mission to Srilanka, our conference and campaign on the alternative foreign policy, Indo-US Nuke Deal, efforts around the Palestine problem and responding to the emerging geopolitical and security related issues have been some of the activities of the network.

The vision of Peace Mumbai is to extend this campaign in all South Asian countries and to move ahead on this process we together plan to hold the Peace and Justice II in Colombo, Srilanka. We hope this conference will once again bring together groups and individuals working on peace and justice issues which will not only consolidate the efforts of these groups undertaken in the last 2 years but will also enhance and further the common cause of a South Asian identity.

The meeting was well attended by our South Asian comrades, to name a few:
Kuldip Nayar, Kamal M. Chenoy, Anuradha M. Chenoy from India, Karamat Ali, Justice Nazir Aslam Zahid, B.M. Kutty from Pakistan, Mohd. Mahuruf from Sri Lanka, Kim and Mint from Burma. Some other members who were unable to attend were Hangama Anwari from Afghanistan, Ubinig from Bangladesh, SAAPE, CPN (N) from Nepal etc….

The key decisions taken in the meeting were:

> There was a consensus on merging the Peace and Justice II to the People’s SAARC process and Conference being held in Colombo from the 18th – 20th July 2008.
> To hold a broader and wider preparatory meeting of all the groups, individuals, networks working on peace and justice issues.
> The preparatory meeting will be held in Lahore in the 3rd week of April 2008.
> People’s SAARC Conference to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from the 18th – 20th July 2008, a week before the SAARC Summit.
> The Coorganisers for the event being – Peace Mumbai, PILER (Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research), SAAPE (South Asian Association for Poverty Eradication), SAP – PK (South Asian Partners, Pakistan), SANGAT South Asian Network of Gender Activist’s), People’s Space (Colombo)