Indian church leads campaign for arms trade treaty

(January 26, 2010) The Indian Catholic bishops’ office for justice and peace is calling the country’s leaders to sign the Arms Trade Treaty for the responsible trade and use of weapons. “India, which believes in non-violence, is yet to sign” a timetable to establish the treaty, said Capuchin priest Fr Nithiya Sagayam, the executive secretary of the Commission for Justice, Peace and Development of the Catholic Bishops’ conference of India, CBCI. “One way of influencing the policy makers and parliamentarians could be through the involvement of the youth,” he wrote in a Jan. 22 letter to people and organizations working for peace and disarmament in India. Nobel Peace laureates and peace activists launched the disarmament campaign in 2003. In October last year, a majority of governments – 153 in all – voted to agree to a timetable to establish a “strong and robust” arms trade treaty. India and Pakistan, the two nuclear-power nations in South Asia, were among 19 nations that abstained. Fr Sagayam says “taxpayers’ money goes to make weapons while the basic rights of the people are not yet met.” Every third person in India lives below the poverty line, he said “but our defence budget is huge.” “The focus on peace and human rights is not only essential but also urgent,” he insisted. The commission has also contacted around 2,000 colleges in India. Fr. Sagayam said the commission seeks to widen the advocacy network for the treaty by sharing the information and contact details of people interested in peace and disarmament.