Posts by Zahid Shahab Ahmed

Commentary India-Pakistan relations and SAARC

It is an ‘unusual’ occasion in the history of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) that a summit is following by some positive developments in India-Pakistan relations. SAARC has long suffered from bilateral rivalry between India and Pakistan slowing its progress on a range of issues, particularly free trade in South Asia. Read more >>>

From the field Lyari, Karachi’s ‘no-go area’

Pakistan’s volatile border areas receive much international attention. But conflicts of a different nature are playing out in other parts of the country. One such place is Lyari, a part of Pakistan’s financial capital Karachi. This article is a reflection of my visit to Lyari, right before fighting between rival gangs paralysed the whole area in July 2011. Read more >>>

An update from Press for Peace

Kashmiri women from both sides of Line of Control (LoC) have established a joint forum for promoting peace in the region. The two-day Intra-Kashmir Women’s conference which concluded in famous tourist resort in Gulmarg sought an end to protracted conflict in Jammu and Kashmir region and also decided to set up a joint forum for peace comprising women from all three units of Jammu and Kashmir, including Pakistani AJK and Gilgit Baltistan(GB) Read more >>>

Interview Pakistan: Bargad – youth development and peace

Perhaps the only youth development organisation founded entirely by students, Bargad is a leading peace organisation in Pakistan. Bargad was formed in 1997 by a group of enthusiastic students from Lahore in Pakistan. Its mission is to promote peace, justice and cooperation among young people in Pakistan. To find out more about Bargad and how the group has been promoting peace through youth-focused projects, I interviewed Sabiha Shaheen, Executive Director of Bargad. Read more >>>

From the field Terrorism and Pakistan’s security dilemma

Local Correspondent Zahid Shahab Ahmed travels in Pakistan, and reflects on how terrorism is affecting the lives of ordinary people in the country. What are the causes of the terrorism, and what can be done to reduce the levels of terrorism in the future? Read more >>>

Interview Pakistan: Youth promoting peace

For an in-depth case study on the work of Peace Education and Development (PEAD) Foundation, Insight on Conflict’s local correspondent in Pakistan, interviewed the executive director of PEAD Foundation, Ms Sameena Imtiaz. Read more >>>

From the field Pakistan: likely to follow the Arab spring?

What is the likelihood of a mass-level movement in Pakistan, of the kind we have seen in Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain and Libya? I would have said ‘very little’, if in the near past there wasn’t the notable example of the lawyers’ movement for the restoration of judiciary and democracy. Even then, there are many who would reject the possibility of another movement in the near future, because they think that the situation of Pakistan is entirely different from states that have either recently experienced a people’s revolution or are still going through that. Read more >>>

From the field Celebrating “Mohali Magic”: India-Pakistan should ‘pad up’ for peace and prosperity

The following is a press release from ‘Partners in Victory – Flags for Peace’ a campaign developed jointly be peace organisations in Pakistan and India. Read more >>>

Interview Teachings of Sufism to promote interfaith harmony

In order to explore more about the work of the Taangh Wasaib Organization (TWO) based in Sargodha, and with a focus on the work of the organisation on Sufism and interfaith harmony, Insight on Conflict’s representative in Pakistan conducted an interview with Ms. Rubina Feroze Bhatti (General Secretary of TWO), whose outstanding strength and enthusiasm powerfully illustrate how marginalized women can make a difference despite overwhelming opposition and antagonism. Read more >>>

From the field Sports for Peace in Swat

Swat Youth Front (SYF) is a non-profit youth organisation which has worked in for peace in the  Malakand Region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, since 1997. SYF was established by a group of highly motivated and civic minded young people. Mainly, the work of SYF has focused on sustaining peace in the post-conflict valley of Swat, which was home to militancy and violence from 2007 to 2009.  SYF aims to bring, with the help of the locals, changes in policy that can lead them towards a prosperous and peaceful society, particularly by promoting volunteerism among young people. Because of the uniqueness of the work of SYF, and their relevance to the situation in Swat Valley, I arranged an exclusive interview of Amjad Ali, Program Manager of SYF to find out more. Read more >>>