Speakers call for national dialogue to promote inclusiveness, harmony

ISLAMABAD/QUETTA: Speakers at a series of seminars have underlined the need to initiate a national dialogue on peace building and national cohesion in order to promote inclusiveness and harmony and defeat extremism and terrorism in the country.

The Saiban-e-Pakistan international conference on ‘Interfaith Dialogue and National Cohesion’ was organized by the Paigham-e-Pakistan Centre for Peace, Reconciliation and Reconstruction Studies, Islamic Research Institute, International Islamic University Islamabad, in collaboration with Nazarbayev Centre for Development of Interfaith and Inter-Civilisational Dialogue, Kazakhstan, in Islamabad on Monday. Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser were the chief guests at the two sessions.

The first session of the seminar started with national anthems of Pakistan and Kazakhstan, followed by introductory remarks by IRI Director General Dr Ziaul Haq and welcome address by International Islamic University Islamabad President Ahmed Yousif Ahmed Al Draiweesh. Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani delivered the keynote address, wherein he said the Paigham-e-Pakistan narrative is key to countering extremism and a way forward for the country to march on the path of peace and prosperity. He said Saiban-e-Pakistan is the best tool to deal with growing extremism and intolerance in the society.

National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Board of Nazarbayev Centre for Development of Interfaith and Inter-Civilisational Dialogue, Nur Sultan City, Kazakhstan, Chairman Altay Abibullayev, MNA Romina Khurshid Alam and MPA Ramesh Singh Arora were prominent among others who spoke on the occasion.

Another seminar titled ‘Role of Civil Society, Ulema and Media in Peace Building and Perception Management’ was organized by the Balochistan Rural Support Program in collaboration with Islamic Research Institute, in Quetta on Monday.

The event brought together members of the media, ulema and civil society to initiate a national dialogue on peace building under the ambit of Paigham-e-Pakistan. A large number of civil society activists, senior media representatives and ulema belonging to different schools of thought attended the event, organized as part of Paigham-e-Pakistan initiative launched by the government of Pakistan. The basic objective of the dialogue was to promote peace, harmony and friendly relations between various segments of the society as well as different religious groups in the country. Speakers on the occasion maintained that till now, a very limited attention has been given to who are considered civil society actors and what role religious actors and mainstream media can play in peace building process in the country.

Earlier, a two-day training workshop was organized on February 22-23 by Saiban-e-Pakistan in collaboration with the Christian Study Centre at Serena Hotel in Quetta. Balochistan Assembly former speaker Raheela Durrani and Parliamentary Secretary for Minority Affairs Danesh Kumar were chief gusts on two days. The aim of the workshop was to train and utilize the youth potential for peace building and reconstruction of the society.

Another seminar titled ‘Role of Civil Society, Ulema and Media in Peace Building and Perception Management’ was organized by Balochistan Rural Support Program in collaboration with Islamic Research Institute on February 21 in Quetta.