A 15-member delegation of Afghan students, lectures and representatives of the National Center for Policy Research (NCPR) from Kabul University visited Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) on November 16, 2011. Headed by Nicole Birtsch, chairperson of Peace Studies Department at Kabul University, the delegation was invited to a two-day visit to Pakistan by Konard Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), a political foundation of Germany working in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The purpose of delegation’s visit to the PIPS was to exchange views and information with PIPS researchers and representative on the topics of conflict, peace and security. The KAS representative Dr Babak Khalatbari accompanied the delegation.
Director PIPS Muhammad Amir Rana said in his welcome address that along with common cultural, historical, religious and geographical linkages Pakistan and Afghanistan also shared a multitude of identical challenges. After four presentations by the PIPS researchers explaining various aspects and approaches of PIPS’ work on conflict, peace and security in Pakistan, the members of Afghan delegation described how these subjects were being studied and related issues analyzed in Afghanistan.
The participants of this get-together agreed that enhanced people to people contacts and increased interaction between different segments of society on both sides of border can play a major role in improving bilateral relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. They emphasized that in the face of enormous challenges faced by rather weak and beleaguered governments of the two neighboring countries, the role of intelligentsia, scholars, students, think-tanks and civil society was extremely crucial and important.