No! No! Campaign!!
No to Missile Testing
No! No! To F 16s, F 18s
Concept Note
Opportunity: On 18th April 2005 at a meeting with media editors in Delhi, General Pervez Musharraf, President of Pakistan, announces that Pakistan will not test missiles or purchase F 16s from the U.S. if India also agrees to do the same.
The Programme: A Joint Campaign will be launched from 11th May 2005 to 11th July 2005 involving the peoples of India and Pakistan. This Campaign is called the “No! No! Campaign”.
During the Campaign period, signatures will be collected from the peoples across India and Pakistan (and also from Indians and Pakistanis living in other countries) on a Petition that reads as follows:
The Petition:
No! No! Campaign!!
No to Missile Testing
No! No! To F 16s, F 18s
We the Peoples of India and Pakistan urge both our governments to immediately stop all missile testing and also to stop negotiations with the U.S. for the purchase of F 16s and F 18s.
We the Peoples of India and Pakistan also urge that our Governments should relocate all the funds saved (by stopping missile testing and purchases of fighter planes) for the education and health care of the people of our two countries. These transfers of funds from otherwise wasteful military expenditure to meeting the basic development needs of the peoples of India and Pakistan should be announced publicly and immediately by both the governments.
S.No. Name Address (with country) Signature
Campaign Period: The Campaign would commence from 11th May 2005 the day that started the nuclear race between India and Pakistan and will conclude on 11th July 2005 – in time to make it possible to submit the signatures collected to the leaders of India and Pakistan between 6th and 9th August 2005 – the 60th anniversary of the nuclear holocaust at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Modus Operandi: Student groups, mass movements, voluntary organisations, educational institutions, trade unions, citizens groups, businessmen, corporate executives, concerned citizens and others are invited to join the Campaign to reach out to people to get their endorsements of the Petition. (Format of the Petition on which signatures can be obtained is available on the website).
Large number of networks, organisations and groups across the Sub-Continent have endorsed the Campaign and enlisted as Collaborating Organisations to organise various programmes and activities during the campaign period in their constituencies. (List of Collaborating Organisations that have enrolled in the Campaign between 24th April and 2nd May 2005 is enclosed.) Many more are expected to join as the Campaign unfolds.
What Can You Do
If you are an Organisation:
· You could enlist as a Collaborating Organisation and organise signature drives in your areas of operation.
· Organise Press Conference or issue Press Release in your city / town between 6th and 10th May 2005 to publicise the No! No! Campaign. (Draft Press Note / Press release is attached).
· Organise functions/programmes during the Campaign period to inform people about the adverse affects of militarisation on development allocations and programmes etc.
· Print and distribute information leaflets during the mass contact programme to inform people about war costs and peace dividends. A draft of the leaflet would be circulated by 6th May 2005. All the Collaborating Organisations of an area could publish the leaflets in their names while also listing other Collaborating Organisations of other regions and cities to show the sub-continental dimensions of the Campaign.
If you are an Individual:
· Sign the Petition!
· Inform others about the No! No! Campaign and try to take endorsements from as many people as possible.
· Provide voluntary and / or financial support to some local organisation to organise the No! No! Campaign in your area.
What could happen
· Perhaps for the first time in history, No! No! Campaign will provide an opportunity and space to the peoples of India and Pakistan at a mass level to collaborate for a common cause and thereby create an environment to secure better understanding between the peoples of the two countries.
· Secondly, No! No! Campaign would expand the peace constituency in both the countries by enlisting the involvement of very large number of people from different walks of life in favour of the issues of peace and development.
· Finally, it is hoped that No! No! Campaign would bring the issue of militarism versus development to the fore in the public domain and this could eventually influence the policies and attitudes of both the governments.
Ownership of the Campaign: The Campaign will not be in the name of any specific organisation or individual but will have a collective ownership vested in all the Collaborating Organisations.
Collaborating Organisations: All organisations and institutions that join the Campaign and organise programs/activities for collecting signatures from people would be the Collaborating Organisations. All organisations willing to enlist are requested to send their names and also to specify their organisational nature (whether they are sub-continental networks, national networks, national organisations, state networks, state organisations and so on), so that they could be listed in the appropriate category on the website and other communication material.
Website: All information, list of Collaborating Organisations and progress of the Campaign will be available at www.nonocampaign.net .
Submission: All the signatures collected during the Campaign in India and Pakistan would be submitted to the Presidents, Prime Ministers, Speakers of Parliaments, and leaders of the opposition of India and Pakistan respectively, between 6th and 9th August 2005.
Facilitating Organisations: Facilitating Organisations receive/collect all the Petitions from different parts of their respective countries and compile them for submission to the heads of the two countries.
Facilitating Organisation for India: COVA, 20-4-10, Charminar, Hyderabad, A.P. India
Ph: +91- 40-24572984, Fax: 24574527, email: cova@sancharnet.in,
Facilitating Organisation for Pakistan:Pakistan Peace Coalition C/o SDPI, P. O. Box 2342, 3, UN Boulevard, Diplomatic Enclave, Islamabad, Pakistan, Tel: (92-51) 227-8134, 227-8136, 227-0674, Fax: (92-51) 227-8135, email: nayyar@sdpi.org