finding local solutions to violent extremism in pakistan

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P O W E R E D B Y:

FINDING LOCAL SOLUTIONS TO VIOLENT EXTREMISM IN PAKISTAN

425 Posts62 Participants

S E P T 2 6 - 3 0 , 2 0 1 6

Over the past decade, Peace Direct has worked to support

local peacebuilding organisations around the world. We

support their programmes and work to raise the profile of the

work of local organisations.

Over the past 6 years, Peace Direct has been engaging with

local groups in Pakistan in different ways. Our website Insight

on Conflict (www.insightonconflict.org) publishes regular blogs

on local peacebuilding, and profiles of 1,400 peacebuilding

organisations – including over 100 in Pakistan, many of whom

are part of this online consultation! Peace Direct has also

supported the work of Aware Girls in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,

and organised the Islamabad Peace Exchange in 2013,

which brought together a number of local peacebuilding

organisations and international donors from across the country.

This is Peace Direct first experiment with using an online

‘virtual dialogue’ to bring together peacebuilding experts.

Peace Direct is excited to be part of this opportunity to share

ideas and knowledge.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Zahid Shahab AhmedAlfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Deakin University

CO-FACILITATOR

Bill BaueCorporate Sustainability ArchitectFACILITATOR

Khuram ShahzadIndependent Expert

Lubna JavaidProgram Manager

Rashad BukhariPeace and Education Foundation

Ali GoharJust Peace Initiatives

Khurram AbbasNational Defence University

Raza Shah KhanSPADO

Ali KhanYES Network

M. Riaz ShadRiaz

Saba IsmailAware Girls

Ali TariqInternational Islamic University

Mossarat QadeemPaiman Alumni Trust

Sarfraz Ahmed RanaIndependent Expert

Amineh HotiCentre for Dialogue and Action, FCCU

Muhammad AyubRenaissance Foundation for Social Innovation

Shahab KhalidIndependent Expert

Asma NasarCentre for International Peace and Stability, NUST

Muhammad FeyyazUniversity of Management and Technology

Sidra RafiqueVisiting Faculty NUST/RESIP

Bridget MoixUS Representative for Peace Direct and Independent Consultant, still working on that PhD

Musharaf ZahoorCentre for International Peace and Stability, NUST

Dr. Fatima SajjadUniversity of Management and Technology

Manizeh BanoSahil

Nadeem GhaziPeace Education Welfare Organization

Fatima JafferyIPAD

Najimdeen BakareAssistant Prof. and Research Associate “Globalized Business and Politics: A View from the Muslim World,” IIU, Islamabad

Jameel Hussain JunejoPakistan Fisherfolk Forum

Nasreen SamadSPADO

Syed M. Ali ShahIndependent Expert

Dilawar KhanCODE Pakistan

Kashif SaeedPeshawar University

Aarish KhanCODE Pakistan

Muhammad Farooq AfridiKhadim ul Khalaq Foundation

Naveed Ahmad ShinwariCommunity Appraisal and Motivation Program

Safeer KhanBedari

Imran MunirIndependent Expert

Kishwar SultanaInsan Foundation

Zeenia ShaukatIndependent Expert

Zareen QureshiCharter for Compassion

Zafar CheemaStrategic Vision Institute

Waseem IftikharCentre for International Peace and Stability, NUST

Uzma LatifDAI AWAAZ/Independent Expert

Usman ZafarPakistan Peace Collective

PART

ICIP

ANTS

4

This opening session on understanding violent extremism in Pakistan got off to a strong start with almost 100 comments posted in less than 24 hours! And as Peace Direct CEO Dylan Matthews said, the commentary “paints quite a mixed picture,” speaking about the National Action Plan (NAP) in particular. “ Many of you have said that the NAP is very reactive and does not deal with the core problems of corruption, etc within the government. Others have stated that the implementation of the NAP has had some success in breaking the infrastructure of terrorism, though this has been done through a very military led response.” And conversation was equally wide-ranging in the Discussion Thread on local organizations’ understanding.

Day 2 focused on identifying the drivers of violent extremism in Pakistan. The day’s discussion started by considering the future of violent extremism in Pakistan, before delving into the deeper root causes of VE as well as the more immediate drivers of VE in Pakistan.

We moved from causes to solutions, casting a wide net to consider the full spectrum of possible answers to the scourge of violent extremism in Pakistan.

A repeated message over the course of the week has been how inter-related and complex the causes of violent extremism are; nevertheless, dividing the causes into some categories allowed participants to identify strategies and actions they felt would address the problem at its roots.

It was clear from days 1 and 2 that the group is viewing the issue of violent extremism in very broad terms. The causes are not seen as narrowly focused on the recruitment and activities of violent extremist groups, but instead much more broadly rooted in issues such as governance, corruption. As result, the range of solutions proposed were also suitably broad.

SESSION 1:Understanding violent extremism in Pakistan

SESSION 2:Drivers of violent extremism in Pakistan

SESSION 3:Moving from causes to solutions

Executive Summary

5

After a very active Session3 discussing diverse categories of possible solutions to violent extremism in Pakistan, we now turn our attention to prioritising amongst the solutions discussed yesterday. To do so, we’ll be using Convetit’s interactive matrix, in which you can “plot” the various issues along a dual axis grid, with the vertical axis representing impact and the horizontal axis representing feasibility. Simply click on the issue from the text list and a dot will appear in the middle of the matrix, then click that dot and you can move it to the spot in the grid that represents your sense of prioritisation.

In parallel, you can discuss the reasoning behind your plotting in a discussion thread, and in another thread, discuss successful examples. Finally, we ask you to take an off-platform survey (on SurveyMonkey).

Wrap things up on several fronts:

In addition to responding to the default user experience survey embedded in the platform (you’ll see it atop this Tab), we ask that you respond to a few user experience survey questions specific to this Peace Direct engagement;

As well, as we pivot from the engagement itself, which we conducted under the Chatham House Rule, we’d like to ask your permission to attribute quotes to you publicly. Of course you have the right to decline, as well as the right to affirm, so please respond to the simple ‘yes/no’ survey on quote attribution;

Next, we ask you to reflect on the solutions matrix, which I’ve migrated over to this Discussion Tab for ease of viewing;

We pose a question around the language of CVE, which has of course cropped up throughout the week;

Picking up on another prevalent strand of discussion throughout, we want you to weigh in on the relationship between local and international actors when it comes to addressing VE in Pakistan;

And finally, we address a series of next steps issues.

SESSION 4:Prioritisation of peacebuilding programmes

SESSION 5:Wrap-up and next steps

Executive Summary

UNDERSTANDING VIOLENT EXTREMISM IN PAKISTAN

SESSION 1

7

Short, mid-, and long-term focus needed for NAP

“The NAP should be aimed at achieving long, medium and short term goals.”

“So far the focus NAP has been on peace making and peace keeping , little effort has been made for long term peace building. Critical peace research is required for sustainable solutions.”

“The short term impact of NAP is significant AS it has shaken things up, but when we talk about the mid or long term impact, I do not have much expectation.”

KEY POINT:


Anonymous

Anonymous

8

NAP: Reactive?

“The National Action Plan in Pakistan is reactive ... a holistic approach towards addressing the issues seems to be missing.”

“NAP looks good on paper but in actual it is a reactive approach after Army public school incident in Peshawer not proactive.”

“NAP was a reactive approach to the APS Peshawar incident, then so were our expectations of successfully tackling all the above plethora of problems through a ‘National Plan’.”

KEY POINT:


Lubna JavaidProgram Manager Anonymous

9

Selective implementation of the NAP

“Implementation on National Action Plan has effectively broken the terrorists and extremists network all across the country. However, the implementation apparently seems ‘selective’.”

“NAP has three major problems: Failure to address structural causes behind terrorism/VE, selective implementation, and inherent contradictions.”

KEY POINT:

Anonymous

Anonymous

10

Corruption

“The NAP...does not adequately address two core issues: corruption and it’s influence in limiting the checks and balances by the Government machinery, and secondly, the historical perspective or origins of disputes that fuel extremist narratives.”

“The plethora of individual , institutional and structural problems such as corruption, intolerance, bias, inequity and inability and/or unwillingness of malfunctioning institutions along with basic issues of lack of employment and access to basic services and protection fundamental rights have been overlooked or not successfully tackled by NAP.”

KEY POINT:


Anonymous

11

Education / Critical thinkingKEY POINT:

“Let me share a brief comment (note) from NACTA official write-up: “Literacy is the key to enable people to read and interpret polemics, tracts and messages...A tolerant multicultural educational strategy will infuse idealism in young minds to challenge injustice where they see it. It will help to politicize young people without cementing uncritical acceptance of solitary truths.”

“The bottom up approach is essential for changing attititudes and increasing levels of tolerance must be done at the grassroot level, both in terms of local facilities and devolpment of critical thinking to understand the damage caused by violence.”

“Madrassaha are not the only reason for extremism. Lack of other educational opportunities, Lack of skills and employment, Basic infrastructure such as availability of electricity, water, basic health facilities shelter all lead to a frustrated, helpless society that will convert anger into violence.”


Anonymous

12

Soft versus hard targetsKEY POINT:

“NAP bought a paradigm shift in the tactical aspects of terrorism, from hard core targets to soft core targets.”

“The missing element in National Action Plan is countering non violent extremism which provides cushion to violent extremism... NAP mainly focuses on handling terrorism with military operation;yet soft indoctrination of extremist ideologies is ongoing activity that goes unchallenged.”


Muhammad AyubRenaissance Foundation for Social Innovation

13

Symptoms versus Root CausesKEY POINT:

“National Action Plan (NAP), formulated after the horrific massacre of school children in Peshawar, is an attempt to treat only the symptoms and is not addressing the root cause.”

“At the heart of the problem lies the tension between those who enjoy the fruits of modernity and those who are left behind... A genuine acknowledgement of structural violence inherent in contemporary world order and a genuine effort to address global inequalities is essential for building long term peace in Pakistan as well as the rest of the world.”

“In my opinion the bifurcation of the society into Enlightened/moderate and narrow minded/extremist mindset has also significantly contributed towards strengthening the cause of elements having extremist leanings in Pakistan... It is this feeling of deprivation that furthers extremism and narrow mindsets often taking the form of violent extremism.”

“NAP has three major problems: Failure to address structural causes behind terrorism/VE, selective implementation, and inherent contradictions.”



Anonymous

Anonymous

14

QUESTION: What conflict presents the gravest threat to Pakistan?SESSION 1 SURVEY:

Attacks by violent extremism groups

63.64% 28 Votes

18.18% 8 Votes

9.09% 4 Votes

6.82% 3 Votes

2.27% 1 Vote

0.00% 0 Votes

Other

Conflict with India

Conflict with Afghanistan/Afghan-based groups

Operations by the Pakistani military

Drone strikes by the US

15

QUESTION: Which insurgent/violent extremist group presents the gravest threat to Pakistan?

SESSION 1 SURVEY:

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan

Other (please name)

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi

Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammad

Sepah-e-Shaba Pakistan

Al-Qaeda

Hibut Tehrir

Lashkar-e-Taeba

Jaish-e-Muhammad

56.10%

21.95%

7.32%

2.44%

4.88%

2.44%

4.88%

0.00%

0.00%

23 Votes

9 Votes

3 Votes

1 Vote

2 Votes

1 Vote

2 Votes

0 Votes

0 Votes

16

QUESTION: Which region of Pakistan is currently suffering from highest levels of activity by violent extremists?

SESSION 1 SURVEY:

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Punjab

FATA

Azad Jammu & Kashmir

Balochistan

Gilgit-Baltistan

Sindh

27.91%

27.91%

23.26%

0.00%

18.60%

0.00%

2.33%

12 Votes

12 Votes

10 Votes

0 Votes

8 Votes

0 Votes

1 Vote

17

QUESTION: Looking ahead 5 years, which regions do you think will face the greatest threat from violent extremism?

SESSION 1 SURVEY:

Punjab

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Balochistan

Gilit-Baltistan

FATA

Sindh

Azad Jammu & Kashmir

35.00%

25.00%

22.50%

2.50%

10.00%

2.50%

2.50%

14 Votes

10 Votes

9 Votes

1 Vote

4 Votes

1 Vote

1 Vote

DRIVERS OF VIOLENT EXTREMISM IN PAKISTAN

SESSION 2

19

QUESTION: When considering the conflicts that Pakistan faces with violent extremist and insurgent groups, do you feel?

SESSION 2 SURVEY:

A more peaceful future is somewhat likely.

A more peaceful future is very likely.

Neutral - No real change is expected.

Not sure

A more peaceful future is somewhat unlikely.

A more preaceful future is very unlikely.

41.67%

19.44%

19.44%

5.56%

8.33%

5.56%

15 Votes

7 Votes

7 Votes

2 Votes

3 Votes

2 Votes

20

The future of violent extremism in Pakistan In the Session1 survey on “what conflict presents the gravest threat to Pakistan?”, the overwhelming message was that violent extremism is the gravest threat to Pakistan today; more than two thirds of respondents selected this over other threats, including the threat of conflict with India. And, this threat will evolve in the future. The survey in this second session revealed cautious optimism, with the highest percentage of respondents by far (46%) believing that “a more peaceful future is somewhat likely.”

KEY POINT:

“Threat perception among both authorities and general population regarding violent extremism in Pakistan has changed in the past few years, from confusion to an increased concern.”

“Pakistan is struggling with sectarian divide, and that is where regions will face VE depending on local groups opposing the other sect.”

“Things are changing for good in my view , I remain quite optimistic.”

M. Riaz ShadRiaz



21

What are the drivers of violent extremism? (root causes) The dialogue explored a broad swath of root causes, with the issues of poverty, (lack of) education, and corruption rising to the top of the list. However, several participants cited counter-evidence (for example of VE by educated, financially stable people), suggesting that the root causes are complex. Similarly, participants advanced wide-ranging perspectives on the role of religion, as well as the different aspects of internal (including variations from region-to-region) and external causes.

KEY POINT:

“Although poverty, lack of education, and joblessness have proved catalytic in promoting violent extremism in the country, the state’s external and internal policies ... as well as a sense of powerlessness in the society ... are the real root causes.”

“Understanding the latent support of educated young to extremist groups requires exploration of their worldviews and identifying discourses that shape this worldview.”

“[M]ost important among the structural causes are legal provisions in the constitution as well as Pakistan Penal Code that differentiate citizens on the basis of religious beliefs.”

“In majority cases, poverty, illiteracy and a sense of deprivation lead to emergence of extremist groups. However, a question arises that what causes poverty, lack of education opportunities and a sense of deprivation? This takes us to a conclusion that there are issues with governance. Corruption is fatal among all the governance issues.”



Anonymous

Anonymous

22

What are the immediate drivers of violent extremism in Pakistan? Interestingly, there was a significant degree of overlap between root causes and immediate causes, though of course important distinctions were discussed as well.

KEY POINT:

“In case of Pakistan the external triggers of unrest are many and immediate - Iran Saudi diplomatic cold war affects Pakistan (The Riyal Strategy) , stories of Baluchistan insurgency invite us to a different set of unrest in the region, Kashmir uprising strengthens the Jihadi narrative back home and protracted conflict situation in Afghanistan blow life into organizations like TTP and others.”

“Domestic factors are of course there, but one thing i would like to mention here is that nonsense activities in the non Muslim world are also responsible.”

“In my opinion the driving force is the religious narrative being used by the extremists.”

“At the bottom level religious Madrassas, illiteracy and poverty drive people towards extremism.”


Anonymous

Anonymous


MOVING FROM CAUSES TO SOLUTIONS

SESSION 3

24

Socio-economic causes Participants broadly agree socio-economic causes -- primarily the intertwining of poverty and illiteracy -- clearly act as a driver of violent extremism, but they also linked these back to deeper causes, asserting the systemic and structural basis of the problem.

KEY POINT:

“Systemic injustices lead to socioeconomic inequality, which is also seen as another factor generating social of Islamism and extremism. However, for some, the correlation between economic deprivation and extremism is not so straightforward – examples of rich and middle class militants have been quoted to support this argument.”

“To address the socio-economic causes, the list of priorities could go beyond limits, and most if not all, are to be addressed by the state institutions and the reigning government.”

“Issues like poverty and illiteracy may not be overcome without a proactive social and economic justice system in place. First we have to address structural problems in the systems.”

“Poverty, illiteracy and sense of deprivation make people more vulnerable to propaganda and manipulation, ultimately driving them to violent extremism.”


M. Riaz ShadRiaz

25

Governance issues Corruption was again identified as a key driver of VE (under the governance umbrella), though many participants pointed to much broader drivers, including the codification of VE into governmental structure and practice. Solutions include the de-politicization of the judiciary and police; perceptions of the role of religion in governance problems ran the gamut, from some believing that religion embedded in governance can seed divisive mindsets, to others believing that religion is one door to a solution.

KEY POINT:

“Violent extremism is not a product of circumstances in Pakistan. It has been intentionally encouraged, violent groups have been and are still being patronized by our state institutions, and are an important pillar of our foreign policy.”

“The government has to mainstream FATA and give equal rights. And then there are a number of ways to bring drastic socioeconomic reforms in FATA to bring it at par with other regions of the country.”

“We need to strengthen Participatory Democracy in Pakistan, in such a way that people can directly vote in, vote out and retain representatives. The lack of actual ‘Participatory Democracy in Pakistan’ whereby representatives will be directly accountable to the people voting them, has been the cause of political frustration and hence violent tendency. To combat violent extremism on account of governance, we should de-politicise the judiciary and strengthen Participatory Democracy in Pakistan.”

“Widely practice of nepotism, corruption, compromises, bribery (even gifts), impunities, double standards in terms of implementing rule of law, political parties with cultural/ethnic/religious identities is part of long list that strongly affect good governance in my view.”



Anonymous

Anonymous

26

Education-related causes In addition to improving the curriculum in both religious and public schools, participants stressed the need to expose students to diverse sources and opinions in order to hone their critical thinking skills.

KEY POINT:

“Madrasahs need to be taken on-board for any education-related reform.”

“Content , no doubt, is important but more than that it is important to foster critical thinking skills of students and teaching them respect for diversity of opinion.”

“Focus on raising standards of ‘Social Studies’ and ‘Islamic Studies’ education in schools ( the two can be merged in a creative way too).”

“If we are planning to bring a long lasting change in Pakistan’ society vis a vis peace, we need to start with education system. We need to revise the curriculum thoroughly.”

Anonymous

Anonymous


27

Ideological and Identity-based causes Religion once again was seen as playing a key role, here in ideological and identity-based causes, where it was also viewed as a vehicle for solutions. A shift in the national narrative toward peace would also help fuel a move away from VE.

KEY POINT:

“Since Pakistani society is widely a religiously oriented one and extremist element manipulate Islam to suite their vested interests, the solution to the problem should also be rooted in religion. Islam as a religion commands to always follow the middle path and avoid any extreme in way of life and even worship.”

“the theory of change for any project aimed at the dissemination of peace messages or counter narratives would be “If peace messages or counter narratives are context specific and generated in collaboration with the local communities then there is a high probability that the message is owned and propagated by the locals for bringing peace in the society”.”

“National consultation of all stakeholders—including civil society—may help us come up with a clear narrative and direction to beat militants’ narrative. Use of only force (under NAP) would not help to eradicate the menace of violent extremism unless we have a clear narrative and a plan to politically engage communities in dialogues and address their economic and political grievances. I would reiterate that young generation should be given a voice in decision making processes.”

“Friday sermons is one great opportunity with the government to address peaceful messages. We at CODE PAKISTAN are in the conception phase of making efforts in this direction.”


Anonymous



28

Geopolitical and regional based causes While external factors, such as drone strikes, play a role, most participants shone the spotlight internally, noting how regional disputes can feed violent extremism. So, too, the solution must come from the inside -- starting at community-level solutions.

KEY POINT:

“Since Pakistan’s toleration of these elements is largely a product of its internal and external threat perception, it needs to change. For that to change at the policy level, as I argued yesterday, democracy and federalism will have to be further strengthened.”

“One military attack or drone strike which mostly kill the innocent people create further grievances and sense of revenge. I would like to mention here that by killing one terrorist in such military interventions they are creating more violent extremists. Such grievances and sufferings are then exploited by various Jihadi and insurgent groups to recruit and use young youth.”

“Social reforms to unite, strengthen the nation can help meet challenges from outside. Also, true implementation of NAP, itself is an answer to control facilitators of extremist activities.”

Anonymous

Anonymous


29

PRIORITISATION OF PEACEBUILIDING PROGRAMMES

SESSION 4

30

KEY POINT:

“Inclusion of women and women’s perspective in the entire narrative building stands as the core strategy and is a more sustainable solution.”

“countering extremist narratives is a holistic approach”

“People wont be violent or become extreme if they don’t either nurture or perceive threat... The bottomline argument is that to strip violence out of the mind, the system must take care of economic security which begins with ‘food, survival’ then socio-political security, which include the actualisation of serious and competent political representation, and equitable justice system.”

“This is the time now to find out the local solution to the local problem.Any external intervention with the name of peacekeeping, making, building will not work until and unless it is built on the local peace making mechanism already practice have strong footing.”


Solution Prioritization Prioritized solutions clustered into two clumps, both above the mid-way point in terms of impacts, with each cluster migrating to either side of the feasibility mid-point. Military targeting of VEs was voted the most feasible, yet the least impactful. The most impactful solution, on the other hand -- police / judicial reform -- was amongst the least feasible. And the very least feasible -- countering corruption -- was rating amongst the highest impact. Clustered across the middle were the rest.

Anonymous

Anonymous

31

KEY POINT:

“PAIMAN’s model of internal community peace structures in the form of youth and mother Tolana (Peace Groups) have been cited by EU as best practice for CVE. Which is rooted in the cultural milieu and religious tradition of the area and is sustainable.”

“People wont be violent or become extreme if they don’t either nurture or perceive threat... The bottomline argument is that to strip violence out of the mind, the system must take care of economic security which begins with ‘food, survival’ then socio-political security, which include the actualisation of serious and competent political representation, and equitable justice system.”

“Keeping in view the extremist ideologies internalized very much through ideological apparatuses, engaging youth in productive opportunities to help create culture of dialogue and respect for dissent, gender equality, non-violent communication, dispute resolution skills, democratic values, etc. have proved to be one of the effective strategies.”

“Instead of imposing one view , perspective or narrative , exposing [Pakistani students] to multiple perspectives , letting them decide their ideas with arguments/evidence always gives good results.”

Examples of Success Examples of successful solutions also seemed to cluster around women-led initiatives and youths, particularly focused on educational opportunities. Kishwar Sultana posted a treatise that’s worth reading in its entirety, as it encapsulates a comprehensive overview of successful examples. Zahid also noted that it is “inspiring to know about the work of PAIMAN, Insan Foundation and YES Network.”




WRAP-UP ANDNEXT STEPS

SESSION 5

33

SESSION 5 SURVEY:

Assessing solutions to violent extremism

Imp

act

Low

er

Lower

Hig

her

HigherFeasibility

Counter Corruption

Federal System Reform

Economic Reforms

Political Reform

Reduce Regional & External Tensions

Police / Judicial System Reform

Stop Government Toleration of Violent Groups

Madrassah Sector Reform

Counter Extremist Narratives

Educational Curriculum Reform

Increase Female Participation

Military Targeting of Violent Extremists

34

REFLECTIONS ON SOLUTIONS MATRIX:

“Women’s perspective should be the core. Why women? extremist narratives in patriarchal societies bring socio-economic, political, psychological, sexual, emotional impact on women.”

“When violence rises to the level of a serious threat, military action becomes inevitable. However, it should be followed by a strong civilian law enforcement.”


M. Riaz shadRiaz

Participants reflected on the difficulty in using the terminology of “Countering Violent Extremism” in Pakistan, with many sharing how they avoid using such terms in their programmes. There is clearly a need for more locally-accepted and culturally appropriate terminology.

35

LANGUAGE AROUND CONFRONTING VIOLENT EXTREMISM:

“These words and terms are alien to the general public who react negatively blaming the West for innovating such ideas and terms. Other examples could be the use of terms “Islamic militancy” or Islamist militancy”, insurgency (in the context of Baluchistan which is debatable), etc. Even I had to use “Islamist militancy” in my papers for international audience consumption, however, I never felt okay with these terms. These are loaded words and Muslim communities across the globe feel offensive.”

“With communities we have been very careful in using certain words as the use of these words in areas affected by violent extremism become source of problem not only for the organization but for the communities we work with and for. There we use the world positive engagement of youth and communities, social cohesion, tolerance, interfaith harmony etc. It has worked perfectly well.”

“The CVE term used by the governments/LEAs is different and lack peoples’s and especially women’s perspective.”


Participants used the opportunity to highlight the need for women to play a central role in peacebuilding in Pakistan.



36

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL ACTORS:

Participants stressed the importance of a strong relationship between local and international actors – not least because much of the funding for peacebuilding activities is provided by internationals. However, there were repeated concerns that international actors do not place enough trust in locals and could do more to recognise and support innovation.



Zahid Shahab AhmedAlfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Deakin University


“Domination of international organizations in funding peacebuilding in Pakistan is actually helping the effectiveness of the work. I mean, if the international organizations would not fund, who else is willing: National government? Any other local sources? My one message to the international community would be: stop fearing failures of your projects, and start fearing failures to act and to learn.”

“International actors bring their own agenda with them. for instance visibility of their own work, working on specific sensitive issues, research that local groups know why being conducted. Frequent visits of young scholars in the communities time and again to learn and get insight. though important but communities start feeling as if they are the “laboratories” and the trust of local groups weaken in the community.”

“International actors bring their own agenda with them. for instance visibility of their own work, working on specific sensitive issues, research that local groups know why being conducted. Frequent visits of young scholars in the communities time and again to learn and get insight. though important but communities start feeling as if they are the “laboratories” and the trust of local groups weaken in the community.”

“CVE is a sensitive subject and without ample capacity and understanding, it might create more confusions and cause or intensify conflict when implementing poorly or wrongly developed programmes. The need for international organisation to provide technical support is vital. At the same time, the international organisations need to involve local organisations at the design phase so that to bring in local knowledge, and cultural appropriateness.”

On behalf of Peace Direct, I would like to extend a very sincere thanks to all participants!

When we first discussed this idea with Zahid, we were really excited by the potential to bring together a wide range of Pakistani peacebuilding experts. But we were also unsure how well it would work. Would people really be willing to dedicate the time and share their ideas and analysis online?

After an incredibly busy and full week, we’re delighted to see that the answer is a resounding ‘yes’! The level of participation has been remarkably high, and the level and quality of analysis has been equally high.

Zahid has already been full of ideas about how we can try and take the learning to an academic paper, to increase the impact of the shared knowledge. We also think it will be important to share the analysis and prioritisation with the international community, not least some of the valuable lessons about how better partnerships between local and international actors can be achieved.

Our sincere thanks to all participants, and we look forward to sharing with you the summary report of this engagement. After such a busy week, we wish you all a peaceful and restful weekend.

In peace,

THANKS

w w w . c o n v e t i t . c o m

P O W E R E D B Y:

Zahid, Ruairi, Dylan, Joel and all the team at Peace Direct

finding local solutions to violent extremism in pakistan

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