Ten-day tour: Kashmiris out to learn lessons from Cambodia

Eminent individuals from both sides of LoC to interact with survivors of the Cambodian conflict.

CAMBODIA:

Amid the on-again, off-again diplomatic wrangling between India and Pakistan, efforts to cool off tensions through other channels have begun.

In this connection, members of civil society from both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) are attending a 10-day intra-Kashmir conference in Cambodia.

The group of 20 eminent individuals representing diverse backgrounds such as academia, media, advocacy and development sector and drawn from both sides of LoC are currently travelling through different parts of Cambodia to learn experiences of resilience from the Cambodian people, who suffered three decades of civil war and genocide.

The study tour includes workshops, interactions with survivors and visits to exemplary civil society institutes on a short duration fellowship with Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies in Phnom Penh, a Cambodia-based NGO.

Sharing their learning after first leg of tour to Phnom Penh, the participants noted that Cambodia and Jammu and Kashmir are two entirely different stories but there are enormous commonalities of human sufferings and lessons for moving towards peaceful, progressive and pragmatic society.

“Blessed with intellect and resources we are placed way ahead of many other communities in the world but we need to learn how to make best use of our advantages to reach a peaceful resolution of Kashmir conflict – which involves the right to self-determination of the people of the disputed Himalayan state,” said one participant.

Attendees were of the view that the biggest predicament with the Kashmiris is the lack of a mutually agreed agenda between communities and regions for a shared future.

To address this critical problem, they vowed to avail every available opportunity for enhancing interactions and understandings between different communities including academics, journalists, lawyers, traders, activists of NGOs from both sides of the LoC.

Since the study tour also focuses on women’s roles in peace building, the participants regretted a near absence of women from the political processes in both sides of Kashmir.

They said that women’s participation is even more necessary as they have borne the brunt of instability, armed conflict and violence and as a result have suffered destitution and displacements.

Learning from the experiences of strife-torn Cambodia, the group also underlined the need for making concerted efforts towards reconciliation, reconstruction and a new future for the Himalayan people.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 3^rd, 2012.