The South Asian Youth Conference 2012, which features 120 delegates from eight countries belonging to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), kicked off with an opening ceremony at the Pak-China Friendship Centre on Monday.
“I believe the only way forward is peace, and for that we need to initiate a dialogue within and across societies, between governments as well as nations,” Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira told delegates at the opening ceremony.
It is unfortunate that the South Asian region has been hijacked by the relationship between Pakistan and India, he said but added that the two governments have entered a process of dialogue for cooperation in the fields of education, trade and sports.
Kaira asked the younger generation to take the lead in improving regional relations. “I believe peace will come through the youth,” he added. “No country, no institutions can stop you from bridging the gap and making the region peaceful and prosperous.”
Chief organiser Naseem Khan Achakzai said the conference was unique because on November 9, which is being called ‘Action Day,’ the delegates will actually implement the action plans they devised during the first three days.
One of the Indian delegates, Abhishek Thakur said that while they connected deeply and had fun in Turkey, they also faced the grim reality that their countries had tight borders and difficult relations at the socioeconomic level.
“I thought that’s a reality we need to change,” Thakur said, speaking at the opening ceremony.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 6th, 2012.
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