The South Asian: Promoting Understanding Between Pakistani and Indian Youth

February 11, 2005

Promoting Understanding Between Pakistani and Indian Youth

Indian and Pakistani leaders are working to develop programs for increased interaction between Indian and Pakistani youth.

Late last year, the Indian Minister for Youth Affairs , and several other national and civil society leaders, while discussing youth travel and cooperation with a 30-member Pakistani Youth Leaders Delegation visiting India proposed promotion of youth exchanges and travel in the subcontinent in order to strengthen peace and harmony.

The Pakistani delegation was headed by Dr. Anwar Siddiqi, Vice Chairman of Pakistan Youth Hostels Association (PYHA), who is a former Vice Chancellor of Allama Iqbal University, and Agha Afzaal Hussain, the National Secretary of the PYHA.

The Pakistani youth delegation visited places of religious, educational, historical and youth interest in India. Its members offered ‘fateha’ at the shrines of several Saints, including Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia in New Delhi, Hazrat Moueenuddin Chishti in Ajmer Sharif, and Hazrat Saleem Chishti at Fatehpur Sekri, one of whose devotees was Emperor Akbar. The Sajjada Nasheen of Hazrat Moeenuddin Chishti’s shrine also hosted a lunch for the delegation. While in India, the delegation visited New Delhi, Agra, Ajmer and Jaipur among other places.

The Delegation travelled to and from India by road, by Wagah border. At the Indian border, a band of local school played while senior officials, educationists, youth leaders and cultural affairs officials saw the Pakistani youth leaders off.

The delegation also met with Vice Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, who proposed to the delegation that cooperation in the educational field among the professors, teachers and students of the two countries will be beneficial. The Vice Chancellor proposed establishment of such relationships between educational centres in the two countries.

International Youth Hostels Federation (IYHF) and UNESCO have signed an MoU for promoting “Youth Hostelling for peace and International Understanding.” Following this meeting, “Youth leader Exchange Program” is being organised by Pakistan Youth Hostels Association (PYHA) and Youth Hostels Association of India (YHAI). Under the programme, members of youth hostels of both the countries would visit each other’s country. The hostels can facilitate large scale and inexpensive youth travel across the world, and can play major role in promoting peace and cultural exchanges.

UNESCO had launched the programme in April 2003 when Unesco decided to seek IYHF’s help and its 6,000 affiliated hostels to utilize them as centres for promoting peace across the globe. Various programmes, functions, training courses, and seminars are arranged in different countries under this programe, utilizing youth hostels.

Initially, a delegation of 25 YHAI members would cross Wagah border to enter Pakistan on foot on April 12. Members of Pakistan Youth Hostels will visit India thereafter.

Posted by collective at February 11, 2005 05:23 PM

Comments

i read all written its a fabulus.i also want to participate in youth can i?
Posted by: Muhammad Usman Khan on June 5, 2008 04:37 AM

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