WASHINGTON, July 14: "I thought the two enemies uniting was just a dream, but it is not a dream, it is waiting to happen," says a Mumbai teenager, Divya Murjani.
"We need to learn to listen ... and to understand. ... Peace will follow," adds Ayaz Ahmad, a teenager from Lahore.
The two teenagers are among three dozens brought to the United States from Mumbai, Lahore and Kabul, to spend 21 days in the United States. The programme, called the Seeds of Peace, which is funded by the State Department's Bureau of South Asian Affairs, includes a camp in Maine and the follow-up activities in South Asia.
The subcontinent is not really a nursery for peace. A traumatic partition, three wars, hundreds of border skirmishes and now a race for nuclear weapons have turned it into one of the most sensitive and potentially dangerous places in the world.
But the organizers of the Seeds of Peace programme believe that because the subcontinent has experienced so much violence, it is the right place for sowing peace, particularly now when both India and Pakistan are making efforts to improve their relations.
"We have seen positive efforts and encouraging signals ... leading the region towards peace, democracy and the rule of law, but more needs to be done," says Donald Camp, the acting assistant secretary of state for South Asia.
His cautious remarks are endorsed warmly by the South Asian teenagers he addressed at the State Department on Tuesday. "I realized it is not about winning or losing but working together. I also realized that regardless of their religion, Indians and Pakistanis can live together," says Ayaz.
"After last year's programme, we wanted to visit Pakistan but our visas were refused," says one Indian participant. "Even parents have problem giving permission to stay," he added. Others also endorsed the view that many parents are a little suspicious of these exchange programmes between India and Pakistan.
The young South Asians, all wearing green T-shirts with "Seeds of Peace" printed on the back, are frank and forthcoming in sharing their experiences. Twelve-year-old Wardah Zahid was not willing to let the elders run the show alone.
"I would like to be an ambassador," she declared when asked how would she help restore peace between India and Pakistan. "Listening is more important than talking," said Ayaz, while explaining how he thinks peace could be restored to one of the world's most under-developed regions.
"When you start listening to your so-called enemies you realize you can be friends. So listen to each other and pay attention." Another Lahore teenager, Nija Khan, has already won a friend in India.
"Anisha Shah and I have become best friends," she said. "And why not, we have the same food, see the same movies. They are just like us." "I did not think Indians would be so friendly," says Rehan Tariq.
"In fact, I met such good friends during this camp that I haven't had such friends even in Lahore." Tariq complains that the Indian and Pakistani media exaggerate the problems that divide the two nations rather than promoting what's in common.
"We want peace on humanitarian grounds. We may not have agreed with them or accepted their point of view, but we understood it," says Murjani while explaining what she learned from this experience.
The organizers also have a follow-up programme to ensure that the teenagers stay in touch after leaving the camp. Last fall, Indian participants from Mumbai visited their Pakistani friends in Lahore for a one-week "alumni" activity coordinated by Seeds of Peace.
The participants also remain in touch with each other through the internet and other regional programmes. During their visit to Washington, Seeds of Peace participants meet with officials at the White House, including national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, and hold discussions with members of Congress and senators in their offices.
