ISLAMABAD, Sept 22: The participants of a function organized by the Citizens Peace Committee have stressed the need for maintaining peace at both national and international levels and to neutralize all threats in this regard.

The function arranged to commemorate the World Peace Day on September 21, included presentations by school and university students, parliamentarians, academicians, women rights and peace activists, as well as peace songs and a skit by primary school students. The theme for the day was “Confronting Threats to Peace”.

Francisco D’Sa of the CPC welcomed the participants and provided an introductory background to civil society moves towards peace at the national, South Asian, Asian and global levels.

MNA Kanwar Khalid Yunus of MQM, in his paper titled “Present Threat to Peace”, spoke about the external and global nature of the threat as well as the internal situation within Pakistan in the wake of terrorism and religious extremism.

Hassaan Ahmad, a Class 9 student of Khaldunia School, spoke about the urgent need for peace in today’s world, where physical boundaries no longer existed; where peace was wisdom. He further termed the present-day world as a place where “peace is not just the absence of war, but it is the presence of justice and learning to become a peace maker and peace builder; where we, the children of this planet, can help promote peace”.

MNA Rozina Tufail of PML-Q drew linkages between peace and the threats emanating from the WTO with a focus on the need for a level playing field for local farmers and indigenous agricultural produce and industrial products.

Senior PPP Parliamentarian Farhatullah Babar drew parallells between the external and internal threats to peace in Pakistan with developments at the international level in the post-9/11 scenario. He said the younger generation should take part in peace-building process.

Saman Shahid, a high school graduate, made an impassioned plea for the younger generation to come out of their cynicism, apathy and complacence, and join their elders in the peace movement.

Women rights and peace activist Tahira Abdullah’s presentation focused on women’s and peace movements around the world. She said, currently, Pakistani and Indian women were at the forefront of the non-government peace initiative. She also put forward a comprehensive set of demands for achieving peace at the national and regional level.

Senior academician, peace activist and founder-member of the CPC Dr Inayatullah traced the history of violence and war, right from the time of Cain and Abel.