India and Pakistan will play the semifinal of the World Cup on 30th March 2011. That the match can be played in Mohali, India is a gift of the peace process that was started in 2004. Prior to 2004, with Indian and Pakistani armies locked in eye ball to eye ball confrontation on the borders, every cricketing encounter was played less like a game and more like war. Unfortunately, Indo-Pak cricket had become the ultimate war game.<\/p>\n
It is never cricket if the prevailing sentiment on the ground is anything other than cricket. So the challenge is to defeat war and win back the game. Wars and flags have historic associations \u2013 Every war in history is fought under a flag and most wars are fought for flags. But if flags have flagged off so many wars, flags could also flag in peace. However, there seems to be a caveat here. While any one single flag can start a war, it takes atleast two flags to cement peace.<\/p>\n
And the two flags that could flag in peace and set a new trend in togetherness and friendship for the whole world are the flags of India and Pakistan – if we bring them together!<\/p>\n
And bringing them together was so simple!<\/p>\n
In 2004 Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Prime Minister of India announced cricket matches between India and Pakistan after his historic bus trip that disengaged armies of both the countries and was recreating an atmosphere of peace in the sub continent. For 16 years both the countries had not played any cricket matches in each other\u2019s countries. There were apprehensions that a cricketing engagement between the old adversaries could reignite hostile sentiments amongst the people and vitiate the just emerging peace process.<\/p>\n
To prevent the cricket matches from regenerating old hostilities and instead use them to further the sentiments of friendship and cause of peace, COVA had proposed the \u201cPartners in Victory \u2013 Flags for Peace Campaign\u201d where people were urged to wave and display flags of both the countries together!! Pakistan Peace Coalition, PILER, SAP and many other organizations in Pakistan and India partnered in this Campaign to make the India Pakistan cricket matches a paradigm of friendship!<\/p>\n
Pakistan India matches were on in different cities in Pakistan. The stadia were packed to capacity. Millions in the subcontinent and around the globe were glued to the spectacle. A daring shot by the batsman, the crowd roared and waved flags. A brilliant delivery by the bowler- more flags waving and crowds were in frenzy. But the flags that were waved by people all around were the flags of both Pakistan and India!! Each one had two flags in hand- the Indian flag and the Pakistani flag!! Many people had flags plastered on their checks- Indian flag on one and Pakistani on the other. People still remember the spectacle of large Indian and Pakistani flags stitched together and displayed all over the stadia. People\u2019s love had once again defeated hate and created history!!<\/p>\n
Pakistan and India played cricket. And irrespective of which team won or lost, every game played made both the countries Partners in Victory!<\/p>\n
Partners in Victory- Flags for Peace Campaign in World Cup Semi Final- Mohali<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s recreate the spirit and magic of the 2004 Pakistan India Cricket Series in Mohali!!<\/p>\n
COVA and YUVSATTA of India and member organizations of Pakistan Peace Coalition will arrange to make available flags of both the countries to the spectators in Mohali for the Semi Final with the hope that every ball bowled and every shot play would be a joint celebration and irrespective of who wins and who loses, both countries will be Partners in Victory!!!<\/p>\n
Pakistan Peace Coalition, PILER, SAP, AJOKA and many other organization will facilitate hundreds of spectators from Pakistan to cross over from the Wagah Border on 29th March 2011 waving flags of both India and Pakistan and COVA, Folk Research Academy and many other organization on the Indian side will receive them and escort them to Mohali singing songs of peace and friendship!!!<\/p>\n
Organizations and groups from India, Pakistan and the world over who want to collaborate or endorse this Partners in Victory- Flags for Peace Campaign are requested to send their consent so that their names could be included as Partner Organisations.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s hope and pray that the World Cup comes to South Asia!!!<\/p>\n
Jai Hind Jiyee Pakistan<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n For Information Please Contact:<\/strong><\/p>\n India<\/strong><\/p>\n Mazher Hussain<\/strong><\/p>\n COVA, Secretary General<\/p>\n Hyderabad, India<\/p>\n Ph; 0091-9849178111, 9394544244<\/p>\n Telefax: 0091-40-24574527<\/p>\n Email: mazherhussain11@gmail.com<\/p>\n Promod Sharma<\/strong><\/p>\n Yuvsatta<\/p>\n 3362 Sector 35 D<\/p>\n Chandigarg, India<\/p>\n Ph; 0091- 9872609816<\/p>\n Email: yuvsatta@yahoo.com<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pakistan<\/strong><\/p>\n B.M. Kutty<\/strong><\/p>\n Pakistan Peace Coalition<\/p>\n Secretariat: PILER<\/p>\n Gulshan E Maymar,<\/p>\n Karachi, Pakistan<\/p>\n Ph:0092- 3008227912<\/p>\n beeyemkey@yahoo.com<\/p>\n _______________________<\/p>\n COVA (Confederation of Voluntary Associations) is a national network of voluntary organizations dedicated to the issues of social harmony, peace and justice. The prime focus of COVA is on citizenship rights and on perspective building for harmony and peace in South Asia. Through direct programmes and by networking with other CSOs, COVA organises perspective building activities and programs, carries out campaigns, and conducts research for influencing diverse sections of civil society and the state apparatus to adopt inclusive, secular and egalitarian outlook and policies that would foster rights and secure justice and peace for all.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" India and Pakistan will play the semifinal of the World Cup on 30th March 2011. That the match can be played in Mohali, India is a gift of the peace process that was started in 2004.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-asia-pacific"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11084"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11084\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}