Building bridges: Peace calendar to be launched in the city

Schoolchildren of India, Pakistan invited to submit paintings

PESHAWAR: A youth-led initiative has invited schoolchildren from India and Pakistan to submit their paintings for the peace calendar of 2017. The calendar has been scheduled to be launched in Peshawar.

While talking to The Express Tribune, convener of the initiative in Peshawar, Abdur Rauf, said the initiative will be a collection that puts a spotlight on the shared dream of building bridges between people living on both sides of the border.

He added the initiative is not based on ulterior motives. It has been started by young people of India and Pakistan to bring the
citizens of both the countries closer and find ways to bridge the chasms between them.

“We have received great response for the peace calendar in the last four years,” he said. “We received painting from people in different cities of India and Pakistan.”

Rauf added the calendar has been launched in Delhi, Panipat, Chandigarh, Ayodhya, Faizabad and Ludhiana in India and Lahore, Islamabad and Toba Tek Singh in Pakistan.

However, this year, he added, they have planned to launch the calendar in Peshawar. Rauf said they would arrange an event where intellectuals from both the countries will be invited. “The youth on both sides of the border has been misled by pseudo intellectuals,” he said. “Good ties between both the countries are needed for peace and prosperity in the region.”

Students from grade eight to 12 are eligible to submit their paintings that would be added to the calendar.

Aliya Harir, the country convener of the initiative, told The Express Tribune the initiative has been supported by academics, political scientists and politicians across the country which can help in building good relations between Pakistan and India. Harir said the paintings will be drawn with poster colours and the best six paintings will be included in the 2017 peace calendar. She added the paintings should be original and should not be out of the theme.

The initiative called Aaghaz-e-Dosti seeks to enhance people to people contact.

Every year Aaghaz-e-Dosti launches an Indo-Pak Peace calendar. The calendar is a collection of selected paintings submitted by school students from India and Pakistan.

It is launched along with a seminar in both the countries. It also has messages from renowned personalities working on peace in both the countries.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 18^th, 2016.