A plea for peace: Climb high, rather than dig​ deep


A plea for peace: Climb high, rather than dig​ deep
At the Nagpur MUN: (L to R) - Rutwik Joshi, Secretary General, Nagpur MUN; Asad Raza, Co-chair Aman Ki Asha Council, from Pakistan; Devang Shah, Director & Co-chair, Aman Ki Asha Council, from India

The experiences of the organisers and participants of the Aman Ki Asha Council at the Nagpur Model United Nations fly in the face of the misconceptions being currently bandied about.

By Devang Shah

By Devang Shah

Less than six months ago, I was a part of the organizing committee for an Indo-Pak students’ conference in Nagpur, Maharashtra titled ‘Aman Ki Asha Council’, as part of our Model United Nations conference.

We did face some hindrances while organizing this conference, but were able to settle them by talking to the people concerned. However, this article is not about the hindrances we faced at that time or how we dealt with them. Rather, I want to talk about what we learned from the experience, and the experiences of our Pakistani guests. These experiences fly in the face of the misconceptions that are being contagiously bandied about at this moment.

Misconception # 1: ‘Maharashtra is a place where Pakistanis are hated and unwelcome’.

One of our Pakistani delegates shared her surprise when a pizza shop owner opened his shop after closing time, just to cater to a guest from Pakistan (reported in The Times of India, Nagpur edition, June 10, 2015).

Another incident, which flies straight at the face of the above misconception, is when we took the Pakistani delegates were to a local police station, to fulfill the formalities of their police-reporting visas. We witnessed firsthand how all the  policemen were not only excited to see them, but even started chatting with them about cricket, including the bowling strategies of Shoaib Akhtar.

These two incidents are clearly symbolic of the fact that what is represented by a particular political class, should not be generalised for all Maharashtrians. They are much more tolerant and welcoming people.

Mahrukh Maqsood (left), delegate from Lahore, Pakistan with Isha, delegate from Jammu and Kashmir, India

Mahrukh Maqsood (left), delegate from Lahore, Pakistan with Isha, delegate from Jammu and Kashmir, India

Misconception # 2: ‘No good can come out of calling Pakistanis to India’.

At our conference, all the delegates brainstormed together for a better future for Kashmiris. We also got to know and understand different perspectives of the problem. What happened next was a moment to be cherished.

All the delegates, irrespective of their nationalities, sat in a circle to come up with potential economic models that the governments of both countries could accept for growth and development in Kashmir.

The cultural exchange that took place between the Indian and Pakistani students made us realise the latent bond that we still share.

The way forward:

 Delegates from India, Pakistan and Indian administered Kashmir, working on a joint resolution

Delegates from India, Pakistan and Indian administered Kashmir, working on a joint resolution

We need to realize that peace between our nations cannot be achieved overnight; it has to undergo a gradual process of organic growth. For change to take place, there needs to be more and more interaction between the people. Milne do!

I urge the stakeholders of both countries to stop the blame game, to actually start acting to bring a consolidated solution to outstanding issues.

Diplomatic talks can do wonders. It is through dialogue that our countries can come out of the spiral conflict model that they are stuck in. I do not say that India and Pakistan should reunite, but let us learn from others’ experiences. Look at France and Germany. Their enmity was much more deep rooted, but today they are amicable partners in the European Union.

What served for them can serve very well for India and Pakistan in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

This is the time to climb high, rather than digging deep.

Devang Shah is a student at Vellore Institute of Technology, a public speaker and Director of Aman Ki Asha Council at Nagpur Model United Nations.

See more photos of the Aman Ki Asha Council at this link




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