A two-day International Pashto Peace Conference will start here on Friday under the auspices of World Pashto Conference to highlight the role of writers and poets in promotion of peace in the region. Addressing a press conference here at Peshawar Press Club (PPC) on Thursday, Chairman World Pashto Congress, Professor Jehanzeb Niaz said that the need of holding of the conference was being felt for long.
However, it has been made possible with the joining of Pashto writers of Peshawar. He appreciated the efforts and arrangements made by the congress in this regard. He said that writers play an important role in the development of society, they promote love, peace and tolerance as compared to promotion of hatred by wars.
Professor Jehanzeb Niaz said that Pashto writers have taken up their pens to join the struggle waged for the establishment of peace. He said that delegates from Afghanistan and other countries would also participate in the conference. Referring to the saying 'pen is mighty than the sword' he said that pen can do all such things which could not be achieved through sword. He was confident that the conference would prove successful.
To a question, Niaz said the conference would be held in six sessions with three sessions each day. The first session on Friday will start from 10:00AM and continue till lunch and Zuhr prayers break, while second session will begin from 2:00PM to 5:00PM. Dinner would be served at 8:00PM and a grand mushaira would be held from 9:00PM to 11:00PM. On the last day, a cultural show would be held from 9:00PM to 11:00 PM of Saturday.
He said that all political parties including provincial government is fully supporting the conference while politicians are extending individual co-operation. He informed that Khawaja Mohammad Khan Hoti will host one of the session. Regarding foreign guests, he said a delegation of 120 people will participate from Afghan capital, Kabul while separate delegations from Kandhar and Jalalabad will also arrive to attend the event. Similarly, two guests from Canada, one each from Australia and Germany will also attend. He said that Pashto writers and poets from Karachi and Quetta will also attend.
Meanwhile, in a message issued here, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ameer Haidar Khan Hoti termed holding of the conference a milestone for development and promotion of Pashto and restoration of peace in the region. He congratulated the organisers for holding the event at such a critical juncture and said that history of Pakhtuns is witness to huge sacrifices of people of the region for defeating brutal forces and today, Pakhtuns are once again facing testing times. The war for survival of the nation is going in this region that ultimately adversely affecting the Pakhtuns, he maintained.
He said being heirs to the philosophy of Bacha Khan, Leader Khudai Khidmatgar Tehrik, responsibility of survival of humanity rests on the shoulders of present generation, adding that he believes they will be triumphant in releasing the countries from the clutches of confronting turmoil.
Hoti stressed that use of force is not the solution to any problem and the Pakhtuns need to resolve their disputes by utilising the Jirga system and countries of the region should resolve issues in an environment of mutual trust besides criticising each other. He observed that peace and stability of Pakistan and Afghanistan are inter-linked and peace in Pakistan without peace in Afghanistan is useless and vice-versa. He termed terrorism is the major hurdle in the path of our development and present government is committed for its eradication. The chief minister expressed hope that Pashto International Peace Conference will prove a milestone in this connection and all possible efforts will be taken for seeking guidance from its valuable recommendations and suggestions.
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