Speakers at a seminar on Sunday said that peace and harmony are the vital preconditions for a sustainable societal development as well as economic growth. The event titled “Role of Civil Society, Ulema, Dukhtaran-e-Pakistan, Local Government and Village Admin in Promotion of Peace in Society’ was organized in Toba Tek Singh as part of Paigham-e-Pakistan initiative launched by the government of Pakistan last year. Islamic Research Institute (IRI) Islamabad Director General Dr Ziaul Haq was chief guest on the occasion. Memaraan-e-Pakistan Programme Punjab Coordinator Mian Allah Bukhsh Tariq delivered the inaugural address. Deputy commissioners of all four districts of Faisalabad Division, ulema, lawyers, civil society, educationists and local government officials participated in the ceremony. Addressing on the occasion, the speakers maintained that setting up an inclusive society with equal access to opportunities and justice for all, participatory decision-making and special attention to the rights of the youth and the women was imperative to establish sustainable peace and harmony and eradicate the menaces of violence, abuse, extremism and terrorism. They stressed the need to infuse in the education system of Pakistan a diversity of opinion and the tools to develop ethical values among students. They also called for making education curricula and teaching more inclusive and tolerant so as to sow the seeds of harmony in the society. “Society is a series of contradictions … and to understand a societal aspect, we must look at both sides of the story. Belief that only and only your perspective is right, leads to an inability to understand others. Only through dialogue we can promote peace and avoid conflicts,” IRI DG Dr Ziaul Haq said, adding that promoting equality in the society where there is no disparity on the basis of gender, religion, language and caste is imperative to foil all sorts of propaganda unleashed against the country by the enemies. The event also highlighted the importance of good governance and explored that how local governments can contribute to promoting peace by delivering services efficiently and promoting sustainable development more effectively. The speakers maintained that educational institutions and religious seminaries can train the youth to counter growing radicalism and extremism in the society. They were of the view that empowerment of women was vital to rein in the forces of terrorism and violent extremism. The speakers stated that Islamic culture was based on Holy Quran, and emphasized the need to promote Quranic teachings to build a peaceful society. They opined that Paigham-e-Pakistan was a national narrative that reflected unity and religious responsibility of the eminent scholars of all schools of thoughts to counter the menace of terrorism and extremism. Published in Daily Times, January 21st 2019.