Sectarian rift: ‘Peace in G-B possible through sharing’

A conference on “Peace in Gilgit- Baltistan” was organized at a hotel in Islamabad

Sharing the pain and anger of communities affected by sectarian and ethnic violence can forge a new beginning, said Bardasht Chairwoman Nilofar Bakhtiar. She was addressing a conference on “Peace in Gilgit- Baltistan” at a hotel in Islamabad, said a press release. The conference was the fifth civil society peace dialogue organised by Bardasht, which addressed major challenges that contributed to violence and intolerance in society. Conference sessions were held on complex emergencies, disaster management and pro-women legislation and were addressed by experts from Gilgit-Baltistan. Nilofer Bakhtiar stated that sectarianism and extremism are the gravest issues confronting Pakistan today and have led to fragmentation in the northern areas as well as major urban centres like Quetta and Karachi. Similar views were expressed by other participants of the conference who stressed the urgent need to restore peace by initiating dialogue and taking corrective measures to arrest the root causes that lead to violent extremism.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 14^th, 2012.