Indian women's team finalises people-to-people interaction plan

By Aarti Dhar

LAHORE, NOV. 30. More than a week after Islamabad was in the news for hosting a trans- border marriage between the children of two top Kashmiri leaders, Mr. Abdul Ghani Lone and Mr. Amanullah Khan, and New Delhi held centre-stage following the unilateral ceasefire announced by India, the focus temporarily shifted to the historic city of Lahore where women of the two countries tried to break the frosty relationship at a people-to-people level.

A 32-member all-women delegation, under the banner of Women's Initiative for Peace in South Asia (WIPSA) aimed at bridging the gap in perceptions and removing distrust which had resulted in animosity among the two countries. And the target this time round was the academicians.

Motivated by the genuine desire for peace, the delegation comprising academics, social workers and lawyers was equipped with knowledge about each other so that the common concerns and anxieties of the two societies could be realised and an informed and educated understanding of each other was bound to lead to a better analysis, and resolutions of points of conflicts.

Despite odds at various levels, the delegation concretised an action plan to widen the people-to-people interaction and decided to organise an immediate exchange of small groups of school and college students on a sustained basis and develop a peace curriculum to be disseminated among institutions of both countries with special focus on women's role in the conflict resolution.

A 10-day `artists camp' involving artists from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal would be held in Matheran near Mumbai in the near future, and the work done during this period would be auctioned with a view to encourage artists to harness their creativity for the cause of peace in South Asia and to encourage dialogue between them.

According to Ms. Meera Khanna, WIPSA (India) Trustee, who led the delegation, an interface of journalists from both the countries would be held to end the sustained campaign of disinformation. The organisation would create a website that would be a medium for exchange of authentic information on conflict issues.

A special theatre festival would focus on peace and involve theatre groups from all South Asian countries. This would be preceded by a special theatre bus to Pakistan. A combined anthology of South Asian women writers will focus on women's issues, Ms. Khanna said.

During their 3-day stay in Lahore, the delegation visited the Lahore University of Management Sciences, the National College of Arts formerly known as the Mayo College and the Aitchinsons College.

The Women's Initiative for Peace in South Asia spearheaded the people-to-people contact in March this year with the first all- women delegation to Pakistan. This was reciprocated by the visit of 64 women from Pakistan to India who strongly believe that the civil society is increasingly getting aware of the vital need to bridge the gap in perceptions which was crucial for the progress and the very existence of the two countries.

Describing the mission as `tourism of understanding', Ms. Khanna said individual-level contacts can be strengthened by involving youngsters who have dreams and the strength to realise these dreams of a progressive India and Pakistan.

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Section  : International
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