As a part of our sustained engagement with intellectuals, and informed citizens to enhance the understanding and build capacity of our young associates on larger regional issues, including Kashmir, Centre for Peace, Development and Reforms (CPDR) held an interactive session with the leading Pakistani intellectual Dr. Hasan Askari Rizvi in Islamabad on 20 Jan 2016.
Mr. Rizvi shared his views on the larger issue of Jammu and Kashmir and identified challenges and opportunities in larger Pakistan India relations. He also took deep interest to know the perspective of the young people from Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan about the future of Kashmir as well as their understanding of the regional issues. He laid greater emphasis on the enhanced engagement of young people of AJK in articulating their narrative on various socio-political issues. While answering various questions, he advised that young people associated with CPDR should focus on producing and documenting issues, problems, and alternative processes on Kashmir issue, to better sensitize public which according to him is less acquainted and exposed to indigenous narrative. Human dimension of Kashmir conflict needs primacy and that is largely missing in our discourse, said Ershad Mahmud Executive Director CPDR.
Subsequently, CPDR’s youth core group members; Dr. Waqas Ali Kausar, Yasir Abbas and Qasir Khan presented him CPDR’s report titled “Unheard Voices” engaging youth of Gilgit-Baltistan. Additionally, Tahir Aziz and Dr. Shaheen Akhtar also took part in discussion.
