Speakers at a seminar on peace building and conflict resolution stressed the need for resolving conflicts through a positive frame of mind, tolerance, commitment and a pragmatic approach.
The seminar was organised by the Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation on Wednesday in collaboration with the US Institute of Peace at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF).
The house was opened by Dr Andrew Robertson, an American expert on conflict resolution.
He said that in 1984, the US Congress had created the US Institute of Peace aiming at preventing violent conflicts and to facilitate the parties to resolve disagreements through dialogue. He said besides the congress and the legislative houses, the USA had a think-tank to advise the government on national and international affairs.
He said the institute had been working on building a civil society in Pakistan by hosting radio shows, working with communities to empower women, engaging the youth and training teachers and students in conflict management. He said differed conflicts needed different processes to deal with them. However, during every process, he said, it was important that rival parties come with a positive frame of mind to listen to the other side.
Dr Robertson said that in the recent past, the USIP had made a significant contribution in capacity building of police personnel at the Sahala Police Training Academy.
MPA Rana Muhammad Afzal Khan, also a member of the UAF Syndicate, said that conflict was as old as mankind. Just as conflicts happened between individuals, they happened between communities and nations, he said.
“Each of the participants here has grown up with a variety of conflicts. But two individuals cannot often resolve their conflict amicably without the mediation of an honest man whom they can trust and who can bring them to table and facilitate negotiation.
Khan expressed regret that the world at large was “pushing India and Pakistan to deal with their problems bilaterally”. He said personally he would oppose bilateralism.
“It’s like a wolf and a lamb who cannot resolve their conflict.” He said the world powers needed to step in to resolve the core issues between two nuclear neighbours.
American expert Jacqueline Wilson said that peace was not the absence of conflict, but the resolution of conflict in a peaceful manner. She said it was natural for conflicts to develop and that people must learn how to resolve them.
She said it was important for people dealing with and analysing a conflict to liaise with the local communities instead of pursuing their own agendas and objectives. Otherwise, she said, mediators could escalate tensions.
She said that food insecurity and water were the emerging issues hampering socio-economic development across the world.
UAF Vice Chancellor Dr Iqrar A Khan said the university would soon offer an elective course in conflict resolution with the help of USIP. He said Pakistanis had been through so many conflicts that they had gotten used to it.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 24th, 2013.