HAPPENINGS…Promoting dialogue, one event at a time


HAPPENINGS…Promoting dialogue, one event at a time

Prominent activists, academics and journalists will address a seminar on “Pakistan, India and Kashmir – Peace Talks: Why War Is Not An Option” at UT Dallas on Oct 10, 2015

“Pakistan, India and Kashmir – Peace Talks: Why War Is Not An Option” is the title of an upcoming symposium on Oct 10, 2015, 2 pm, at the Naveen Jindal School of Management, University of Texas at Dallas.

The event, organised by #ProjectPakistan, aims to bring people from Pakistan, Kashmir and India on one forum and to promote peace talks and healthy dialogue to take their voices further.

The panel features Pakistani journalist and policy analyst Raza Rumi, author of the acclaimed book ‘Delhi by Heart: Impressions of a Pakistani Traveler’, currently a Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy; Dr. Nyla Ali Khan, a professor of Expository Writing Program and the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at the University of Oklahoma and author of ‘The Life of a Kashmiri Woman’ based on the life of her grandmother, Begum Akbar Jehan; Amitabh Pal, Managing Editor of monthly The Progressive in Madison, Wisconsin; journalist and activist Beena Sarwar, Editor, Aman ki Asha currently teaching a writing class at Brown University; and Dr. Pritpal Singh, a physician active with human rights Issues.

The symposium also has a special treat in store: Dr Amie Maciszewski, an international musician and sitarist, will open the event with a Kashmiri folk tune.

“The panelists are pro-peace, pro-dialogue Journalists, academics, activists and artists who have worked in their own capacities for years and have paid a price for it,” says event organiser Dr Mona Kazim Shah, a physician, journalist and activist based in the Dallas area. “Since we will be micro blogging and streaming the event live for the participation of the audience in the region, we expect our voices to reach back home We believe the same youth will be part of our government, bureaucracy, policy making and pressure groups in a very short time and is capable to take these talks to the next level. They have shown serious political acumen and the will to re-open frozen issues, such as the one under discussion.”

#ProjectPakistan is a new campaign that encourages dialogue to resolve conflicts and promote South Asian art and culture in the U.S.A. The project takes up human rights issues and includes philanthropic projects, political radio shows, besides providing space for open mics in the tradition of The Second Floor in Karachi started by the late Sabeen Mahmud.

The symposium is an effort to promote peace by people “who truly believe that war has not and will not solve anything,” says Dr Shah. “We are done with the tired rhetoric and losing innocent lives on the borders. We need to use the money spent on defense on development, health care and education of the masses.”

Event co-sponsors include United Nations Dallas Chapter (UNAUSA Dallas), Pakistan Students Association UT Dallas, Indian Students Association UT Dallas, Embrey Human Rights Program Deadman College, Southern Methodist University (SMU), Never Forget Pakistan, Pakistan Society of North Texas (PSNT) Fun Asia Radio, Dallas, Voices Breaking Boundaries (VBB), and Dallas Peace and Justice Center.

–aka




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