Daily Times

Pakistan’s current government is committed to trust-based friendly bilateral relations with Afghanistan and is working to utilize every possible channel to improve bilateral ties, said Usman Dar, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs, while speaking to the participants of the Pak-Afghan Youth Leaders’ Summit 2019.

“It is so heartening to see young leaders from both the countries, sitting together side by side under a single roof,” Dar said of the gathering organized by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) and the Afghan Studies Center as part of its cross-border Track 1.5/II initiative. “This meeting of young leaders gives us hope, even in the often politically charged up environment,” he said, adding “the world we live in today is far better than it was thirty years ago.” “The credit goes to youngster like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg; they changed the face of the earth. We want the same from the youth of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Both need to invest in human capital. This is where Pakistan and Afghanistan need to work together to carve out a bright future for the next generation,” he said.

Usman Dar also gave good news to the Afghan youth present at the summit, saying that he will personally request and ask Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan to increase the number of scholarships for Afghans.

Mehnaz Akber Aziz, Member National Assembly of Pakistan and also an educationist, while speaking on the occasion, was of the view that if Pakistan and Afghanistan have to grow in an inclusive manner, they will have to prioritize and invest equitably in young people. as the economic potential of the country can only be unleashed by embracing its young population as its most valued resource for sustained growth. With over 64% of the total population below the age of 30, Pakistan is currently one of the youngest countries in the world, where as 63% of Afghanistan’s 27.5 million people are under the age of 25. We have to make an effort to turn them into a demographic dividend, added Mehnaz.

She also suggested education diplomacy between Kabul and Islamabad, as it is the one of the contemporary approaches which can play an effective role in bringing the two nations closer in a constructive way.

Building on the earlier perspectives to bridge the gap between two countries, senior journalist Rehman Azhar proposed fusion of arts, culture, music and literature. He was of the opinion that arts and culture transcend boundaries; it helps make people understand each other. Regarding media Rehman Azhar was happy to share with the audience that youth of both the countries are very smart. Though, media may be playing a negative role and instigates blame game, but youngsters don’t trust media anymore. “We shouldn’t be avoiding the difference; we should be having a dialogue and resolve our difference in a decent way,” Rehman stated.