CONFERENCE: Conference on Peace, Security, Governance Held

The first international conference on peace, security and governance was organised by the Centre for Peace, Security and Development (Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Education) in collaboration with Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) at a local hotel. According to organisers, former ambassador, Shahid Amin, underlined the need to handle US-Pak relations with care and willingness to remove whatever has arrived in the form of misunderstandings and not allowing them to become major issues. Pakistan Institute of International Affairs (PIIA) Karachi Chairwoman Dr Masuma Hasan laid stress on the role of women in maintaining peace. She quoted the UN Resolution 1325 which ensures a special need for women to be taken into account at all levels whenever their negotiations for peace take place. Goerge Perkovich, director Nuclear Policy Programme, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said that US can help in promoting educational reforms in Pakistan. Karachi former nazim Mustafa Kamal said democracy is about the empowerment of local government system, as this was the only way to get people's contribution towards their cities and then the country. “We cannot fight and win the war against terrorism with the help of forces but by serving the people through a proper strategy,” he noted. Former federal minister, Javed Jabbar, said that Pakistan was a predominantly Muslim country than a theoretical state. “Despite of all our flaws, we still have the capacity to produce balance and global level excellence,” he added. Former federal minister Dr Farooq Sattar and Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq, in their brief remarks, appreciated Abdullah Dadabhoy for establishing the Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Education.