In 2011, Inclusive Security staff went to Pakistan to meet with members of our coalition of women peacebuilders. Zarmina Rafiq, a peace trainer from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), spoke about her work to create groups of peace practitioners in areas that are difficult to reach due to geographic and cultural constraints. Through illustrations […]
In an interview in 2011 in Islamabad, Pakistan, Farhat Asif told a story about how her training as a mediator enabled her to calm down a friend who held extremist attitudes about Shi’as. She was able to remind her friend that people are human beings first and that other layers of their identity, such as […]
Sameen Imtiaz noticed that a great deal of blame has been placed on madrasas for causing the rise of extremism in Pakistan, which she felt was not entirely true. In order to change this perception and work with madrasas to become part of the solution to peace, she began engaging religious leaders and teachers in […]
As a woman peacebuilder, Sameena Imtiaz has seen many organizations overlook the key role women play in creating a peaceful society. Many organizations, if they focus on women at all, tend to only argue for women’s inclusion based on their right to do so. Ms. Imtiaz takes this a step further and encourages women to […]
Myth #1: There isn’t evidence that including women makes a difference. Quite the opposite. Research shows that inclusive processes are more credible to the public and have a higher success rate. There is also empirical evidence of women‘s contributions to improving peace negotiations, sustaining ceasefires, disarming and reintegrating fighters, and improving governance and justice. The […]
Journalist and documentary filmmaker Naziha Ali talks about how women can get their message across to male decision makers in Pakistan.
As a trainer with PAIMAN, a non-governmental organization focused on peacebuilding, conflict transformation, and empowering marginalized Pakistani groups, Bushra Hyder has worked with university students in Khyber Pukhtunkwa Province, which is very volatile based on its proximity to Afghanistan. Over the course of a few days, she was able to form a bond with extremist […]
Naziha Ali, a journalist and documentary filmmaker in Pakistan, spoke with Inclusive Security in 2011 about the effects that media organizations have on extremism in her country. She explained that as long as the media promote so many stories of violence, it will be difficult for Pakistan to find a peaceful future.
In 2011 Inclusive Security sat down in Lahore, Pakistan with Bushra Hyder, a peace educator who lives in the volitile region along the Afghanistan border, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK). Since her school is located across the street from the local hospital, she has seen the full impact of violence on her society. Here she relates the […]
As a teacher and a peace activist, Bushra Hyder felt she was doing her part in peacebuilding by being an educator. But, when the bomb blasts in her region became more regular, she realized she needed to do something in her schools to combat the depression that had infiltrated her community. Based on a suggestion […]
