As recounted by Irshad Ahmad Mughal, “In the 1st World March for Peace and Nonviolence, our main activities were to do a Peace Walk from Gujranwala to Lahore (about 90 km) on foot which we did in two days. Then, we marched from Sheikhupura to the Badshahi Mosque, around a 40-kilometer walk, done in one day. After, we did the same march from Thokar Niaz Baig to Badshahi Mosque (around 20 km). And, in the end, we marched to Wagha Border to see our Indian friends on the other side. The key humanists who participated in the 1st World March for Peace and Nonviolence were: IRSHAD AHMAD Mughal, Anees Ahmad Khan Lodhi, Sayyd Azhar Ali Shah (Advocate), Mirza Waqar Baig (Advocate), Aniq Ur Rehman, and many other humanists… painful to walk on foot and couldn’t walk after and my young sons also participated in it who have grown up now, but.

Here are some photos of the 1st World March for Peace and Nonviolence in Pakistan.

“During the visit of the 2nd World March Base Team to Nepal on 23 January 2020, a delegation of peace and non-violence activists from Pakistan visited Nepal to support the 2nd World March initiative. In so doing, they brought the profound certainty of the Pakistani people working towards a worldwide eradication of violence in all its forms. And, not only setting an example of peace and non-violence cooperation efforts in the Asian region, but also setting an example for the rest of the world.

The visiting party from Pakistan was composed of Chairman Krishan Sharma, Ms Hina Azam (Senior Social Activist and, recently, Vice President of Social Students Forum), Solicitor Teerath Kumar Jhangi, and NGO activist Gulab Rai. That visit is a great moment not only for Nepal but also for Pakistan. It shows that Nepal and Pakistan are a brotherhood towards Peace and Nonviolence, not only in the region but also as an Asian example to the rest of the world. It is a sign and a baseline for the future of the Asian Subcontinent region.

Here are just some photos of the Pakistanis’ visit to Nepal to support the 2nd World March. 

Fast forward to the present.

Pakistanis are once again actively preparing to support and welcome the 3rd World March to their country.

Key Pakistani humanists, Irshad Ahmad Mughal and Krishan Sharma, during a recent virtual meeting, on February 18, 2024, met with Rafael de la Rubia, founder of World without Wars and without Violence and main promoter of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence, with Antonio Carvallo as interpreter, to share the plans they are actively working on to support the 3rd WM in Pakistan.

Krishan Sharma and Irshad Ahmad had met up and came up with a plan for the 3rd WM when the base team comes to Pakistan.

Just as the 3rd WM is focused on and is concentrating its activities in universities and centers of learning in other parts of the world, the plan is for the 3rd WM base team to arrive in Karachi at night and the next day, to have a conversation with the students of Habib University. A university with a large body of students, youths coming from all walks of life and different classes, the 3rd WM base team can share why working for peace and nonviolence is an urgent task for the future and can listen to the students’ thoughts and images about these themes. At night, the 3rd WM base team and supporters will meet with the intellectuals of the Karachi Arts Council. In Karachi, the participants will also pay a visit to Mazar e Qaid, the Grave of Qaid e Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah, a founder of Pakistan. And, can have a meeting with Governor Sindh / Chief Minister Sindh and attend a reception.

The next day, the 3rd WM base team and local supporters can travel to “ Shah Abdul Latif Bhattai”, the shrine that houses the tomb of this great Sufi saint. With Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, being a leading Poet of Sindh and a Poet of Peace and Nonviolence, the shrine is a meeting point for peace and nonviolence. The 3rd WM can participate in the activities there. After which, it’s to travel to Lahore where Irshad Ahmad Mughal will organize gatherings.

Finally, the 3rdWM base team and supporters can travel to Islamabad. Being the capital of Pakistan, meetings with high government bodies can be arranged. Dialogues with students, walks, and competitions (i.e. a football competition) are being envisioned.

During the virtual meeting, Rafael de la Rubia spoke about the Ethical Commitment, a document that outlines the guidelines for participation, to disseminate to participants the principles of peace and nonviolence as the key priorities. Anyone can participate as long as the same principles are shared and as long as there are no commitments with government entities corporations or entities that go against this. This document is being translated into different languages and can be translated into Urdu, the national language of Pakistan. Since English is widely understood and used in Pakistan, the English version can also be used.

A WM brochure also details everything to know. A seminar or a group meeting can be organized to study the contents which can make it easier to decide what activities to do.

All in all, it was the consensus that the 3rd World March for Peace and Nonviolence is urgently needed. People are living in violent and intense conflict situations. More than ever, to end all wars, all forms of discrimination and violence is a key desire of peoples and cultures.

There is no future for conflict.

It is peace and nonviolence that will open the future of humankind.

Pakistani humanists and peace-makers are joining their hands with many others from around the globe, to help make peace and nonviolence a reality for all mankind.

Notes: The Shrine,“ Shah Abdul Latif Bhattai”, shrine of a great Sufi saint. The shrine is built in the Indo-Islamic architecture style and opened in 1792. The shrine complex was built in 1772 by Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro to house the tomb of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai. Bhit Shah is a small town near Hala, about 200 kilometers from Karachi.

This report has been made possible with the help of Irshad Ahmad Mughal, Krishan Sharma, and Decler Hague who shared photos and information about the WM in Pakistan.

For more information about the 3rd World March for Peace and Non-violence, visit https://en.theworldmarch.org/