JPF for addressing militarisation, Irom Sharmila issue at SAARC submit
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, November 09 2011: Just Peace Foundation (JPF) has appealed to all concerned for addressing the issues of Irom Chanu Sharmila in the SAARC summit due to begin from tomorrow at Maldives.

A statement of JPF has been adopted and incorporated into the main declaration, which will be submitted to SAARC summit.

The statement observed that the people of Manipur are highly concern about increasing budgetary allocation on militarization by diverting resource from social welfare by the governments in South Asian region and are alarmed by the accelerated militarization in the region in the name of countering terrorism, thereby eroding democratic space, undermining basic human rights and humanitarian law principles.

Saluting the extraordinary resilience of Irom Chanu Sharmila, who has entered the 12th year of hunger strike in solidarity confinement demanding repeal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958, the statement strongly condemned the apathy from taking a favourable decision of the draconian Army Act, in spite of several official committees and commissions of the government and international bodies like the UN, recommending immediate repeal of the Act.

The statement called upon the governments of South Asia 'to immediately halt the futile process of militarization generating a spiral of insecurity and to redirect its sources and energy to build genuine democratic institutions to ensure the human security including education, health, housing and other welfare programmes of the people .

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