19.09.2019
Mediothek Afghanistan in collaboration with Media Training and Research Center (MTRC) organized “Dialogue Forum with Political Decision –Makers” in Islamabad, Pakistan, marking the fifth major program of the Afghan & Pakistani Youth Peace Ambassadors-2019 initiative so far this year.
The event officially inaugurated on September 13, 2019 in Islamabad with twenty five youth ambassadors participating from across various provinces of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Professor Dr. Sayed Shahjahan Shah, Chief Executive Officer, welcomed the youth ambassadors, adding that both countries have lots of commonalities and shared values, culture and language on which we can build to work towards a peaceful and stable region.
Dr. Shahjahan emphasized that peace, development and prosperity in the region is not feasible without the active participation of youths of both countries and this event is providing an open platform for constructive interactions among young activists and leaders of both countries to share their views on pressing topics and learn from distinguished experts.
The program was preceded by four separate events namely “Seminar on History and Politics” in Kabul and Islamabad on May of 2019 and a “SWOT Analysis workshop” in July in Kabul between Afghan and Pakistani youth ambassadors and recently a “dialogue with political decision makers” in early September in Kabul.
The dialogue forum with expert and political decision–makers provides a rare opportunity for the young ambassadors of both countries to meet key experts and influential policy-makers in Islamabad and Kabul to share their views and discuss a broad range of pressing topics, opportunities and challenges for regional cooperation and integration with a great emphasis on the role of youth in such issues.
Influential experts, policy-makers and political decision-makers were invited to lecture the young ambassadors and answer their questions.
Dr. Khaddim Hussain from Bacha Khan Education Trust Education Foundation was invited to lecture the young ambassadors of both countries and discuss socio-cultural and political reorientation in Pak-Afghanistan relationship (reasons, benefits and dialogues).
Mr. Zafarullah Khan, a distinguished expert from Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS), lectures the young peace ambassadors of Afghanistan and Pakistan on “Role of Parliament and Parliamentarians in peace building in the region and more specifically between Afghanistan & Pakistan. This session will follow question and answer and open discussion. Participants conducted joint group-work to analyze the discussions and presentations by the guest speakers. Similarly several other experts helped the young peace ambassadors navigate the topic.
Experts, scholars and policy-makers discussed common values, culture, common concerns, opportunities and how to work together for regional integration and peace in the light of challenges and opportunities in the broader region.
The young ambassadors of Afghanistan and Pakistan engaged in constructive dialogues and discussions on traditions, culture, commonalities and shared their views on how to turn threats into opportunities through such productive interactions among young leaders and experts.
The young ambassadors hailed the initiative calling it a practical mechanism for regional cooperation and unity, especially given the fact that both Afghanistan and Pakistan are very young countries and the involvement of youth in such interactions could have far-reaching social impacts on both sides of the borders.
Faheem Akhtar, from Gilgit, Pakistan, says that the programs was a very successful event and it really opened our eyes and gave us a good chance to meet and learn from each other and I hope that journalists and media representatives will also have such opportunities to meet and share their views. “Afghanistan and Pakistan are not only just neighbors they face same the same challenges of terrorism,” adds Akhta “such initiative help them work together to overcome the challenges. ”The Afghan-Pakistani Youth Ambassadors for Peace initiative is funded by the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany.
