Centre to promote peace, reconciliation to be set up in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: A high-level meeting on Monday decided to establish a centre in Islamabad to promote peace and reconciliation in the country.

The Paigham-e-Pakistan Center for Peace, Reconciliation and Reconstruction Studies, to be set up by the Islamic Research Institute (IRI) of the International Islamic University, Islamabad, (IIUI) will conduct research studies on peace, reconciliation and reconstruction and will also offer a post-graduate diploma in peace and conflict studies. The centre will work to encourage research on countering violent extremism and will also conduct training modules for the purpose.

The meeting held at the Allama Iqbal Auditorium of the Islamic Research Institute discussed viability and feasibility of the project in consultation with prominent religious scholars of all schools of thought, researchers and heads of leading think tanks.

The meeting discussed at length various proposals to devise a working mechanism for the Paigham-e-Pakistan Centre and also deliberated upon countering violent extremism modules and course that is being introduced in Pakistan for the very first time. The centre will help disseminate the message of Paigham-e-Pakistan project as well as content on countering violent extremism in a pragmatic way.

The government earlier this year launched the Paigham-i-Pakistan project in order to address the challenges posed by extremism and sectarianism through a national narrative, which portrayed a soft and positive image of Pakistan and highlighted Islam as a religion of peace, brotherhood, tolerance and harmony. The initiative was also endorsed by the Imam-e-Kaaba and Grand Mufti of Egypt.