News & Events

Build strong narrative to stop arms race and abolish nuclear weapons

Seminar held to Mark the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

Any delay in taking effective global measures to stop arms race and to abolish nuclear weapons from the earth could lead to catastrophic impact threatening the very existence of mankind. Latest reports by the Stockholm Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) on this issue are startling. The reports highlights that there has been exorbitant increase in the expenditure on arms in the year 2022. This is bleeding the resources from social needs to arms race. A seminar on ‘Arms Race Vs Social Security’ organised by the Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD) and Social Thinkers Forum Ludhiana here today called upon the peace loving people and forces to build strong public movements to impress upon the nuclear weapons possessing countries to join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) which was passed by the UN General Assembly on 7th July 2017 by 122 votes in favour and only one against and one abstention. On-going conflicts around the world are a big threat to the human life and resources. It is a matter of anguish that instead of learning lesson to unite to fight back the events like COVID Pandemic, there has been increase in the arms budget in 2022. At present it is estimated that there were 12512 warheads in January 2023, which is 86 more than in January 2022. Latest news of danger of nuclear bombing on the nuclear power plants particularly the largest  Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is highly worrisome. We have already witnessed the damage caused at the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear plants accidents.

A major nuclear exchange between Russia and NATO-US could kill 20 crore people immediately and cause nuclear winter which would in turn lead to death of 5 to 6 billion people, and threaten the survival of humanity.  

Dr Arun Mitra, President Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD) & immediate past Co-President International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) made a presentation on the subject. Others who participated in the deliberations include Dr Rainder Pal Singh Aulakh, Dr Parmider Singh Bhogal, Dr Devinder Grover, Dr Ms Param Saini, Balwinder Singh Aulakh, Vinod Kumar Sood, Gursharan Narula and Dr Jain. M S Bhatia Convener Social Thinkers Forum compeered the proceedings and told that the idea for peace will be continuously propagated by organising programmes in different sections of the society.

Dr Arun Mitra

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