Mission:
Institute for Peace and Secular Studies (IPSS) is a community supported voluntary effort focused on the people’s agenda. The mission of the institute is to use non-violent struggle for the attainment of a peaceful society.
Peace is achievable only if all citizens irrespective of their religion, gender & ethnicity are equal in the eyes and functioning of the State. We consider poverty, inequality, illiteracy, intolerance and greed as the main reasons behind War, Terrorism & Extremism. Thus equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities for all citizens are the only guarantee for a peaceful society, which is not possible without a Secular State.
Objectives:
- A ‘Participatory Democracy’ where citizens are directly involved in all decision making processes impacting their lives.
- Land Reforms and across the board Accountability of the corrupt since 1947.
- De-weaponization of Pakistani society to eliminate decision making through violence.
- Reduction of the Defense Budget by at least 50% and its reallocation towards Human Security and Social development (Education, Healthcare, Clean Water, Housing, Environment & Employment)
- Signing of a security treaty among all SAARC countries to thwart imperialistic designs and complete elimination of weapons of mass destruction (atomic bombs)
- Open borders among all countries of South Asia to allow citizens to visit their families and religious sites
- Inter-faith harmonization by highlighting our long cultural traditions of resistance, love, peace, tolerance and justice as propagated by the Sufi and Bhagti movements.
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Expression & action against the use of religion for Political,
Economic and Social Power as it corrupts the religious message of peace,
tolerance and justice and creates an existential conflict among people.
‘You are free, you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the State.
………. and you will find that in course of time
Hindus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not
in the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each
individual, but in the political sense as citizens of the State’
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Presidential address to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, 11th Aug 1947