Sahar Fatima and Waziha Wadud
Sir Ernest MacMillan Sr PS
149 Huntsmill BLVD,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M1W2Y2
Honorable Pranab Mukerjee
Office of the Prime Minister of India
South Block, Raisina Hill,
New Delhi, India
110011
April, 30th, 2014
Dear Honorable Pranab Mukerjee,
Today we are writing this letter because we believe that you, the Prime Minister of India, should attend this year’s Peace Conference. The issue of Kashmir is wrecking the lives of many. Many are getting killed, hurt, abused, separated, and after so many years, we still don’t have a resolution. This is a huge issue that is affecting so many people and it never completely stops. We would like you Honorable Pranab Mukerjee, to attend our conference because we believe this issue should no longer continue and be avoided, it needs to be addressed and resolved in the most peaceful way possible.
The issue of Kashmir has taken a huge toll on the parents and children of Kashmir. Hundreds of lives of those whom have gone to fight with Pakistan for a piece of land have never returned. Hasn't it occurred to you that these dead soldiers could be parents of young children who will never see their parents again? These children rely on their parents to protect them and keep them out of harm’s way; like the article 27 of the United Nations Children Rights Charter states. If their parents are taken away from them, they will be forced onto the streets with no education, food, water and safety. Eventually they might die. Many children are taken away from their families and their lives are damaged from a young age. Some children might also be forced to work as child soldiers after their parents’ death because they will not have any other options for their future. In India, 3000 children who were kidnapped were used as child soldiers at war. This issue has a huge impact on the lives of children.
The conflict between India and Pakistan has gone on for long enough. These two countries have been fighting for Kashmir since 1947 and should respect the decision that the late ruler of Kashmir Hari Singh had declared. India used to be one big country including Pakistan. Pakistan had a large population of Muslims and India had a large population of Hindus so they separated away from each other. Kashmir had a Hindu king but Muslim civilians, he could choose what country to join, but decided to stay neutral because of the different religions of the region. The fact that India and Pakistan are risking people’s lives out to war to battle over land is unnecessary and disrespectful to Hari Singh’s decision. The fights between these two countries have separated many families which are in violation of article 27 in the United Nations Children’s Right Charter. The tension between the two countries has resulted in guerrillas, terrorist activities, nuclear dangers, ceasefire violations, which have all resulted in the deaths of many civilians. Peace seems to be a mere thought for the civilians of Kashmir.
Kashmir is a very beautiful territory to own and could benefit both countries evenly. Why should two countries declare a war over it? Many families are being separated because of wars that have occurred in the past over these countries. Children have been separated from their parents and also used as soldiers. Unattended orphans that are uneducated can be kidnapped and sold to other countries for money, where they are forced to work to death with minimal food. The amount of violence and rights taken away from children during these wars is not a price that can be filled by a land. All these bombings, wars, battles, they’ve all been damaging the beauty of Kashmir until the environment is not as safe for citizens. If one country eventually wins the ownership over Kashmir, all of the lives that have been lost during past violence or the absence of parents in children is a debt that won’t be repayable. All this fighting in not needed and we believe a peaceful resolution is possible.
In conclusion, we would like you to attend our peace conference with Pakistan to declare peace and allow Kashmir to remain a neutral territory. We would like you both to realize how this issue if affecting children and citizens of Kashmir, we believe this should no longer go on and we hope you have realized how greatly this is impacting the nation. Thank you for reading our letter. We will be looking forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Sahar Fatima Waziha Wadud
Comments (1)
Bob Hofman said
at 8:55 pm on May 1, 2014
Whooh... what a well worded letter, great!
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