10/05/2025
A Call for Peace: India, Pakistan, and the People Who Love Them Both
On behalf of the Freedom Fountain Memorial Project
In times of rising tension between India and Pakistan, we raise our voices not in anger, but in unity. Not in vengeance, but in hope. Not for war, but for peace.
The Freedom Fountain Memorial stands as a tribute to unity, not division, to shared sacrifice, not conflict. This memorial honours the 1.5 million soldiers who served in the First World War and the 2.5 million in the Second, forming the largest volunteer army in history. Drawn from across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Southeast Asia, and the Commonwealth, these soldiers fought side by side. They served together as the British Indian Army, united by duty, courage, and the vision of a better world.
Their service was not just about victory, it was about laying the groundwork for global peace, justice, and cooperation. The soldiers' sacrifices built a legacy that transcends borders and continues to inspire generations today. In that same spirit, we now appeal for peace between their homelands, between India and Pakistan.
To those of us who trace our roots to both lands, who carry the stories, the languages, the faiths, the flavors, and the memories of India and Pakistan in our hearts, this conflict is not about two nations. It is about two homes. And war between homes only leaves ruin.
India and Pakistan are not strangers. They are siblings. Children of the same parents, born of the same soil, shaped by the same rivers, mountains, poetry, and pain. Partition may have drawn a line, but it did not sever the bond of heritage. They share the same cultural heartbeat, from the Vedas to the Sufi saints, from the Ganges to the Indus.
War between them is a civil war in spirit. Whatever happens, whoever claims victory, a member of our family gets hurt, a brother bleeds, a sister mourns. There are no winners, only collective suffering.
We, the children of South Asia, call for restraint and reconciliation. We echo the powerful message of leaders like Humza Yousaf and Leo Varadkar, sons of the subcontinent, one of Pakistani and the other of Indian heritage, who jointly urged Prime Ministers Modi and Sharif to de-escalate and choose diplomacy over destruction.
War does not heal. It only delays the pain. Civilians, not soldiers, pay the ultimate price. Children lose parents, elders lose sons, and generations inherit trauma. These are not statistics. These are lives, like the three-year-old girls killed in Bahawalpur, or the innocent civilians caught in the crossfire in Kashmir and Punjab. The suffering is real and shared on both sides of the border.
We acknowledge the anguish of the Pahalgam attack a tragic and condemnable act of terror. But retaliation, especially against civilians, is not justice. It is perpetuated pain. A peaceful future lies not in missiles or might, but in truth, accountability, and people-to-people solidarity.
To Our Diaspora: Choose Unity Over Division
To the millions across the UK and around the world who proudly trace their lineage to India and Pakistan, do not let this conflict fracture our communities abroad. Our solidarity with our countries of origin must never come at the expense of peace with our neighbours here.
We share far more than what divides us: the warmth of biryani and samosas, the joy of Eid and Diwali, the music of Nusrat and Lata, the stories of resistance, poetry, and perseverance. These cultural treasures are not weapons. They are bridges.
In places like Cambridge and across the UK, communities of all faiths and backgrounds, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian are coming together, urging calm, challenging disinformation, and protecting one another. This is the path forward. As one elder beautifully said: “This is not a war about religion. This is a political war about borders. We must not bring hatred to our streets and homes.”
A Spiritual and Moral Imperative
Our faiths remind us: “The believers are but brothers; so make peace between your brothers.” [Qur’an 49:10]
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ likened believers to bricks of a wall—supporting one another.
The same message is found in every tradition: Love thy neighbour. Seek peace. Speak truth.
We call on imams, pundits, pastors, gurdwara committees, rabbis, and scholars to preach peace, not vengeance. To heal wounds not inflame them. To lead us back to our shared humanity.
Reject Warmongering. Embrace Humanity.
Today, the most courageous voices are not those of politicians or generals, they are the people: farmers in Punjab, artists in Lahore, professors in Delhi, mothers in Karachi, children in Srinagar, and South Asians around the globe saying: No war. Only peace.
War, once started, is hard to stop. But peace, once planted, can flourish for generations. We demand:
More trade, more cultural exchange, more cross-border dialogue.
Leaders who invest in hospitals, not weapons.
Real justice through diplomacy, transparency, and empathy.
Let This Be the Moment We Choose Each Other
To those in power: history will not forget your choices. Let this be the moment you rise above division and lead with courage and compassion.
To the people of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and the broader diaspora: this is our call to action. Reject hate. Embrace peace. Resist division. Speak out.
Let us honour the legacy of those who came before us, not by repeating their suffering, but by realising their dream of unity and justice.
Let the Freedom Fountain Memorial not only honour those who fell, but stand as a living beacon of shared history, resilience, and hope. Let it remind us that peace is not passive, it is powerful. It is not the absence of war, it is the presence of solidarity.
One community. One humanity. One future.
