ISLAMABAD, AUG 23 (DNA) – “It is very heartening as well as my first time to be sitting across an assembly of youth from across the border.

I will definitely report to the parliament about this and ask them to create a parliamentary caucus for Pak-Afghan relations,”Member of Parliament Ms. Mehnaz Akbar Aziz stated this while speaking to a gathering of Pakistani and Afghan youth alongside high-level distinguished speakersfrom both countries at the Youth Summit organized by Afghan Studies Center in Islamabad.

The summit focused on connecting youth beyond borders to work for a better tomorrow and was attended by a high-profile13 member visiting Afghan delegation and young representatives from High Peace Council, Kabul.

Former member of Afghan Parliament Khalid Pashtoon, heading a visiting high-profile Afghan delegation also present, expressed that he was delighted to see the youth of Pakistan and Afghanistan together under one roof.

“This opens the roads for consensus towards a better and progressive future. Both countries were very close few decades ago, then bad things happened and there emerged a space between us two neighbors.

Though, we miss those old days, when we used to be like twin brothers. However, I hope that once peace prevails in Afghanistan in the context of Doha talks, the two nations would get closer once again.

Most of the issues between Kabul and Islamabad are linked with security; once the security issue is resolved in the bigger picture, everything else will fall in place,” he said, giving hope the youngsters present.

Pashtoon further stated that, in recent years, a lot has been done regarding bilateral relations.

“We have come a long way. One such example is of the opening of the Torkham border round the clock. It will help facilitate cross-border mobility and will also increase the trade volume.

The surge in trade will result in increased profits across the border; reinforcing peace and better bilateral relation. It is our responsibility to give the youth a hope, so that they can play a key role in bringing sustainable peace,” added former Afghan legislator.

Nargis Taraki and Hijratullah Tahir, young emerging leaders, representing Afghanistan’s High Peace Council, who travelled with a 5-member delegation all the way from Kabul thanked Afghan Studies Center (ASC) – established in April 2017 to give a platform to the youth of Pakistan and Afghanistan – for hosting them and organizing such a wonderful event for youth, where youngsters are starved for such events. She also suggested having such gatherings in Afghanistan as well, in order to move one step forward in consolidating linkages between the youth of Kabul and Islamabad.

Saleem Khan Kunduzi, former Governor Nangarhar, put a great responsibility on youth in harnessing peace and development. He assured that youth can play a decisive role in shaping the future of their countries.

“You should not think that you cannot bring change just because you are not in power corridors. Remember the power of people is more than the people in power”, statedKunduzi while motivating the youngsters to play more active role in their respective communities.

There has been a lot of progress regarding visa easement. HEC has allocated 30% scholarships exclusively for Afghans, issues regarding bilateral trades are being discussed and mechanisms are being put in place.

So, a lot is happening. We just need to be patient and build on confidence building measures and move forward further and further, panelists apprised the youth present of the latest developments.

A day earlier, Afghan and Pakistani delegates visited Quiad-i-Azam University (QAU) and National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Islamabad to interact with the youth and faculty members to discuss Pak-Afghan detante and the Afghan peace process.

The interactions aimed at sensitizing them on the latest developments regarding the aforementioned themes, so that the conversation can be taken forward to the class room settings and youth can be cognizant of the need for friendly neighborhood, and complexities of bilateral relations.=DNA

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