On July 15, 2011 Peace Education And Development (PEAD) Foundation in collaboration with Save the Children International organized a national consultative meeting of the Peace Network Pakistan (PNP) on the “Challenge of growing radicalization and extremism in Pakistan”, at CRSS office in Islamabad.The consultation started with all the members getting acquainted with each other which was followed by an introduction of the network, its aims, objectives and structure.A special session on understanding the dynamics of radicalization and extremism in Pakistan was conducted by Mr. Harris Khalique. Towards the end of the meeting member organizations drafted a future policy, short and long term goals of the network..
Pakistan has been facing the challenge of growing radicalization and militancy for the past several years. Realizing the need to counter extremism and radicalization, the civil society and academia has actively been engaged in highlighting the need for consolidated and conscious efforts to develop a counter narrative to tackle the epidemic of radicalization and extremism in the country. Thousands of people have been radicalized and many more continue to fall prey to the militant groups.
Although efforts have been made by individuals and organizations for this cause yet their approach thus far has been somewhat scattered. The socio-political context of Pakistan underscores the need for a concerted effort to involve and sensitize all stakeholders on how to approach and deal with violent and conflict-ridden situations.
This led to the inception of Peace Network Pakistan (PNP). PNP is an initiative of the PEAD Foundation in partnership with Save the Children for providing a platform for all those organizations and individuals who are consciously working for promotion of Peace, non-violence and prosperity in Pakistan. PNP also provides a platform to all members for sharing their resource, best practices and expertise for countering extremism and promoting peace in Pakistan.
The objectives of the network are as follows:
To provide a platform to various NGO’s working on peace initiatives for sharing experiences, best practices and available resources.
To create a platform for an informed debate and counter narrative to tackle radicalization, religious extremism and violence that is growing fast in the society.
To promote peace by addressing multi-faceted conflicts through peace building initiatives at every level of society.
To connect with other regional and international peace networks.
To promote better understanding, knowledge and information regarding conflict transformation, peace building, security issues etc.
To raise awareness of policy makers and other relevant stakeholders to incorporate Peace Education in policy framework.
