KARACHI, Dec 15: A two-day workshop on “Paradigms of Conflict Resolution in South Asia” will be held here on Dec 22 and 23.

The workshop is being organized by the Department of International Relations, University of Karachi, and the Regional Institute of Peace and Security Studies under the programme on peace studies and conflict resolution.

Prominent scholars from Pakistan and various South Asian countries will participate in the programme, which will be held in the conference room of the department on the university campus.

Objectives of the workshop is 1) To discuss how the events of Sept 11 and subsequent developments related to war against terrorism tend to reshape the paradigms of conflict resolution? 2) To initiate a dialogue on the rationale of rethinking the paradigms of conflict resolution. 3) To examine the linkage between conflict resolution and peace process and linkage between confidence- building measures and peace process. 4) To explore the possibility of an alternative paradigm of conflict resolution in South Asia, particularly in areas of human security such as gender, water, environment, energy, Track-II diplomacy, NGOs and so forth. 5) To debate the role of nuclear and non-nuclear CBMs in South Asia, particularly in the backdrop of the Agra summit. 6) To examine linkage between terrorism and the CBM process in South Asia, particularly in the perspective of developments in Afghanistan since the events of Sept 11. 7) To highlight the paradigms of peace process in South Asia, namely, in areas of Indo-Pak, Indo-Bangladesh and Sri Lanka conflicts.

The main thrust of the workshop would be on why conflicts occur and how the world can be a better and safer place for mankind in the face of conflicts, which remain endemic and violent?

The workshop is being held at a time when Pakistan’s geo-strategic position has assumed significant prominence because of America’s war against terrorism.