Daily Times

Hyderabad: A peaceful, happy and progressive world is a universal dream.We all need to strive together as a well-knit world community to realize this dream. Pakistan is a peace-loving state possessing a culture characterized pre-dominantly by core human values and essential humanitarian traditions like peaceful co-existence, social harmony, tolerance, and respect for civil liberties, secularism, love and welfare of all.

Pakistan’s significant contribution toward combating terrorism and promoting peace in the world serves as a bright luminous chapter in the global annals. This was said by Vice Chancellor University of Sindh, Prof. Dr. Fateh Muhammad Burfat in his presidential remarks on the occasion of 3-day seminar on “Practical and Theoretical Aspects of Peace and Conflict in a Deeply Local but Globalized World” at Shaikh Ayaz Auditorium of Faculty of Arts building, University of Sindh Jamshoro on Tuesday.

Dr. Burfat said that a strong natural longing for peace ran in the blood of people of Pakistan due to centuries-long teachings and influence of Sufi saints.

The Vice-Chancellor added that attitude-patterns and behavioral-codes played vital role towards creating tolerant and civilized societies. “There are hundreds of issues that happen to be personal, domestic, communal, social and highly localized in nature and context. Such problems can conveniently be resolved through localized opportune interventions”, he said. Dr. Burfat traced with the help of numerous convincing examples from history the inter-linkage of essentially local clashes flaring into international conflicts due to continued negligence. Dr. Burfat said, “I reckon this 3-day seminar a highly valuable initiative in a world wrecked by the monster of extremism and terrorism. I am confident that the scholars who are to present their researches in the ensuing working sessions of the seminar will address all necessary facets of the theme and put forth implementable recommendations as a way forward”.

Vice-Chancellor Dr. Burfat also asserted that peace was the first prerequisite for success, prosperity, progress, performance and productive life.

Yesterday, being the first day witnessed three working sessions that included scholarly presentations i.e. “Pakistan’s Message” by Dr. Zia-ul-Haq of International Islamic University, Islamabad, “Drug War and Peace” by Dr. Suleman Shahzad of Karachi University and “Concept of Peace in the Writings of Mirza Kalich Beg” by illustrious poet of Pakistan Dr. Adal Soomro. All presentations won unprecedented audience applause. Earlier, Dr. Muhammad Akram Ansari, Director, Centre for Physical Education, Health and Sports Sciences, University of Sindh, Jamshoro shed light on the objectives of the seminar.

Published in Daily Times, January 31^st 2018.