Speakers call for peace, harmony in society

Ahsan Iqbal says dialogue at every level key to peaceful coexistence

ISLAMABAD:

Speakers have called for promoting peace and harmony in society.

They were speaking at the 2nd Paigham-e-Pakistan Youth Symposium organised by the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI).

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader and former federal minister Ahsan Iqbal was the chief guest of the concluding session, while the opening session of the symposium was chaired by IIUI Rector Dr Masoom Yasinzai.

Students from various universities including Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa attended the symposium.

Ahsan Iqbal highlighted various challenges Pakistani society was currently facing. He said that hatred in society must be addressed and harmony must be promoted to build a peaceful society.

He called for encouraging inclusiveness in society. “We need to learn how we can disagree agreeably,” he said adding that “We need to be united on core issues so that Pakistan can progress and we can have a bright future.”

He was of the view that the economic development of Pakistan will depend on social peace which cannot be achieved without the rule of law. He said that dialogue at every level was a key to peaceful coexistence. He also asked the youth to work for discouraging hate speech.

The IIUI rector said that “these are high times to promote peace, inclusiveness and harmony in the society and Pakistani youth through latest mediums such as social media can do wonders to achieve these goals”.

He said that there was a dire need to promote and propagate the message of peace and unity. He agreed with the recommendations of the symposium that curriculum should be a continuous process. He also hailed the government for introducing the single national curriculum.

“We are living in the age of drastic changes, we cannot afford to be stagnant rather we must be well prepared to respond to the everyday challenges,” said Dr Masoom.

Bahauddin Zakariya University Vice-Chancellor Dr Masoor Akbar Kundi said that “we must say no to differences and yes to unity”. He urged the youth to disseminate the Paigham-e-Pakistan’s message that he said was all about inclusiveness, peaceful co-existence and unity. He said that the rights of minorities must be protected. At the end, Ahsen Iqbal distributed certificates among the participants.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 7^th, 2022.