117 Public Figures From India, Pakistan Write To PM Modi, Sharif Seeking Peace

1st July 2026 at 4:33 PM

1 minute read

Karachi : A year after Operation Sindoor, more than 100 prominent voices from India and Pakistan, including politicians, former diplomats, academics and public figures, have jointly appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart, Shehbaz Sharif, to take meaningful and sustained steps towards restoring peace.

Among the Indian signatories are National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Mehbooba Mufti, Manoj Jha of the RJD, and former TMC minister and current AJUP leader Humayun Kabir. The Pakistani signatories include former Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, former diplomat Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, National Assembly member Isphanyar Bhandara and nuclear physicist and author Pervez Hoodbhoy.

The appeal comes despite New Delhi maintaining that its policy towards Pakistan remains unchanged. India has consistently stated that “terror and talks cannot coexist” and that any improvement in bilateral relations depends on Pakistan taking credible action to end cross-border terrorism. The signatories also called for reopening the Attari-Wagah land border for trade and travel, reviving the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service and restoring other cross-border connectivity initiatives.

“India and Pakistan together are home to nearly one-fifth of humanity. A large proportion of our population is young. The people of both countries deserve a future defined by peace, development, connectivity and cooperation, rather than perpetual mistrust and confrontation,” the letter said. It added that decades of strained relations have hindered the region’s collective potential and imposed heavy social, economic and humanitarian costs, arguing that sustained engagement and dialogue remain the most effective path to resolving differences and building a stable and prosperous South Asia.

“We respectfully request you to listen to the aspirations of common people and choose engagement over isolation, dialogue over hostility and cooperation over confrontation. The future of South Asia should be shaped not by division and conflict, but by peace, prosperity and shared progress,” the appeal stated. The letter concluded by emphasising that the initiative was not intended to endorse any political position, but to place the welfare and aspirations of nearly two billion people above conflict and division.