From our newsroom to you: Peace and progress
Vol. 2 Issue #10 In our latest edition, we hear how peace builders and the business community, each in their way, unite for peace and progress.
My latest observations over the past two weeks suggest that a blend of diplomacy and commerce might be the collaborative road to peace.
As many as 11 eminent pediatricians from India and Pakistan penned a joint oped published in the British Medical Journal, highlighting the damage that conflicts cause to the most vulnerable communities and urging their governments to exercise restraint. Young reporters Abdullah Zahid in Karachi and Bidhi Adhikari in Kathmandu pull this and other calls for peace together in their joint article ‘As long as we share the same skies’: Peace movements push back against Indo-Pak tensions. These efforts include an online meeting convened by the Socialist Party of India on 7 May where, as a participant noted: “Southasia is one of the poorest regions in the world. If India and Pakistan sink, Southasia sinks with them.”
I recently attended the Indian American International Chamber of Commerce convention in Washington, D.C., where business leaders explored various economic initiatives that open doors and create opportunities within India and throughout the diaspora. In Access, collaboration, entrepreneurship: A blueprint for success? Discover how shifting global dynamics may usher in a new era of economic success.
In other Sapan News: Sapan News Chief Editor Beena Sarwar appeared on BBC Urdu to discuss the far-reaching effects of the India-Pakistan conflict on the entertainment industry.
Video: Aliya Nazki, host of BBC Urdu’s Sairbeen interviews Beena Sarwar and other guests.
Arif Zaman, host of the Bloomsbury Radio Business Show will interview Beena Sarwar about her documentary ‘Democracy in Debt: Sri Lanka Beyond the Headlines’.
Listen live Monday 8 pm UK / 3 pm ET / 12 midnight Pakistan time - https://stream.aiir.com/4xq57g8j7lmuv
There was a screening of the documentary film on Sri Lanka on 10 June, as part of a half day event 'South Asia: people, promise and potential - art, film and discussion' convened by the Bloomsbury Institute London. The backdrop was the major exhibition at the SOAS Gallery co-curated by the amazing Sapaners as we call members of our Southasia Peace Action Network, Salima Hashmi (a Sapan founder member and advisor) and Manmeet K. Walia.
Sapan’s recent conversations with business and civil society leaders reveal a deep alignment in their priorities. Perhaps the key to preventing conflicts is to take better care of our citizens and communities by providing them with economic opportunities and development. It’s as much of an investment in peace and human welfare as military buildup.
If you like what you read or have a point of view to share, click the button below and leave a comment.
Thank you,
Regina Johnson
Coordinating Editor
Sapan News
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