Islamabad, May 20: A study conducted jointly by Conciliation Resources (CR) and Centre for Peace Development and Reforms (CPDR) has stated that educational cooperation across the Line of Control (LoC) can serve as a catalyst for stabilizing the situation in Kashmir. 

 “Exploring and nurturing cross-LoC institutional links in the field of education will lend substance to people-to-people contacts. Interaction on education could serve as a catalyst for stabilizing the situation in Kashmir. It can also act as an engine for development to create sympathetic constituencies across the LoC and thus forge enduring ties that can bridge gaps for long-term conflict resolution,” reveals the study which was released during a seminar here. 

 Tahir Aziz, the Programme Manager of London based NGO (CR) said that the CR does not offer any solution to the Kashmir problem but wants people of Kashmir to get engaged in the process, which he hoped would lead them to a mutually acceptable solution.

 The non-conventional initiatives like intra-Kashmir trade or education he said had played key role in other conflict zones around the world to bring communities together which helped them to find solution of their problems.
 Speaking on the occasion, former Ambassador, Arif Kamal who contributed to the study, said that CBMs only cannot solve the political dimension of the Kashmir conflict. 

 Former Ambassador and Director General of Institute of Strategic Studies,  Ashraf Jehangir Qazi lauded the publication and its contribution to promote peace across the LoC. “Educational cooperation has got the potential to play a vital role to bring people of Jammu and Kashmir closer to each other,” he said adding that Kashmir specific CBMs should be taken to create conducive environment wherein both India and Pakistan can talk with confidence and take more bold steps towards the final settlement of the Kashmir issue.

 Siddiq Wahid emphasized that uninterrupted intra-Kashmir dialogue should be initiated so that Kashmiris living on the both sides of LoC could understand each other in a better way.

 Referring to the study he said it is a comprehensive survey of educational achievements on both sides of the LoC divide in Kashmir, identifying commonalities and the potential for supplementing growth. “The study gives a broad outline of what is already available in terms of infrastructure and resources, and what could be shared to aid CBMs and help develop an agenda for educational cooperation across the divide,” he said.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 20 May 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 20 May 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 21 May 2011 00:00:00 IST