Malala Yousafzai UN speech (Pashto translation)

by +Azad Pashtun 

ملل متحد کې د ملاله یوسفزی وینا

بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم

د الله نوم سره شورو کوم چې ډیر لوی مهربانه او رحم کوونکی دی.

عزت من بان کي مون سیکرټری جنرل ملل متحد، محترم وک یرامچ، د عمومي اسمبلۍ مشر، عزت من ګورډن براون، د ملل متحد د نړیوالو زدکړو استازې، محترمو مشرانو، زما خوږو ورڼو او خویندو، السلام علیکم!

ما د پاره د لوی عزت مقام دی چې زه دومره وخت پس بیا خبرې کوم. دا زما د ژوند ډیره لوی شیبه ده چې زه دلته دومره عزتمنو خلکو سره یم. ما د پاره د لوی عزت خبره ده چې ما نن د بې نظیر بهټو شهیدې څادر اغوستې دې.

زه نه پوهیږم چې خپله وینا له کومه ځایه پیل کړم.  زه نه یم خبره چې خلک ما نه د څه ویلو هیله لري خو تر ټولو مخکی زه د خدای شکر اوباسم چې چا د پاره مونږ ټول برابر یو او زه د هر هغه شخص مننه هم کوم چې زما د زر ښه کیدو او نوي ژوند د پاره يې دعا کړې. زه بقین نه شم کولې چې خلکو ما سره دا څومره ډیره مینه ښودلی ده. ما ته د نړۍ هر ځای نه د ښه صحت او ژوند دعاګانو زرګونه کارډونه راغلي. زه د ټولو مننه کوم. زه مننه وایم هغه ماشومانو ته چې له معصومو ټکو يې ما ډاډ ترلاسه کړو. زه د خپلو مشرانو مننه کوم چې دعاګانو يې ما ته طاقت راوبخښلو. زه په پاکستان او برطانیه کې د هغو ډاکټرانو، نرسانو او هسپتال کارکوونکو مننه کوم او د متحده عرب اماراتو حکومت مننه کوم چې ماسره يې په ښه کیدو کې او خپل طاقت بحالولو کې مرسته وکړه.

زه د نړیوال تعلیم لومړۍ ګام Global Education First Initiative  په کمپائن کې د بان کي مون او د ملل متحد ځانګړی استازې ګورډن براؤن پوره پوره ملاتړ کوم. او کمپائن ته دومداره لارښونه ورکولو د پاره زه د دواړو مننه کوم. دوی مونږ ټولو ته د عملي ګامونو اخیستلو الهام راکوي.

خوږو وروڼو او خویندو، یوه خبره یاده ساتئ. د ملالې ورځ زما ورځ نه ده. نن ورځ د هرې هغې ښځې، هر هلک او هرې انجلې ورځ ده چې خپلو حقوقو د پاره يې غږ اوچت کړې دې. په سلګونو د بشر حقوقو فعالین او ټولنیز کارکوونکي شته چې نه صرف د بشر حقونو خبره کوي، بلکه هڅې کوي چې د تعلیم، امن او برابرۍ موخې ترلاسه کړي. ترهګرو زرګونه خلک وژلي دي، او په لکونو خلک يې ژوبل کړي دي. زه په هغو کې صرف یوه یم.

خو زه دا یم ولاړه یم ........ په ډیرو کې یوه انجلی

زه دلته د ځان د پاره خبره نه کوم، بلکه هغو د پاره چې غږ يې نه اوریدل کیږي.

هغو د پاره چې خپلو حقوقو د پاره يې مبارزه کړې ده.

په امن د ژوند کولو حق د پاره

عزتمن سلوک ترلاسه کولو حق د پاره

د ژوند فرصتونو کې د برابرۍ حق د پاره

د زدکړو کولو حق د پاره

خوږو ملګرو، د دوه زره دولسم کال اکتوبر په دولسمه، طالبانو زه د تندي

په کیڼ اړخ وویشتم. دوی زما ملګرې هم اویشتې. دوی ویل که مرمۍ به مونږ خاموشه کړي. خو دوی ناکامه شول. او هغه خاموشۍ نه زرګونه غږونه راوچت شول. ترهګرو فکر کولو چې دوی به زما مقصدونه بدل کړي او زما ارمانونه به شنډ کړي، خو زما ژوند کې هیڅ هم بدل نشول بغیر د دی نه چې: زما کمزوري، ویره او ناهیلي مړه شوه. زور، طاقت او جرأت راکې پیدا شول. زه هم هغه ملاله یم. زما ارمانونه هم هغه ده. زما امیدونه هم هغه دي. زما خوبونه هم هغه دي.

خوږو وروڼو او خویندو، زه د چا خلاف نه یم. زه دلته له طالبانو د انتقام اخیستو په مقصد نه یم راغلی، او نه چیرې بلې ترهګرې ډلې نه. زه دلته د هر ماشوم د تعلیم د حق غږ اوچتولو د پاره راغلی یم. زه د ټولو طالبانو زامنو او لوڼو د پاره تعلیم غواړم، او د ټولو ترهګرو او تندلارو د پاره.

زه خو د هغه طالب نه هم کرکه نه کوم چې زه يې ویشتلې یم. که زما په لاس کې ټوپک وي او هغه ما ته مخامخ ولاړ وي، زه به يې نه ولم. دا د رحم هغه جذبه ده چې ما محمد (ص)، د عفو و بخښنې پیغمبر، عیسی (ع) او ګوتم بودا نه زده کړې. دا د بدلون هغه میراث دې چې ما ته د مارټن لوتهر کنګ، نیلسن منډیلا او محمد علی جناح نه ترلاسه شوې. دا د عدم تشدد هغه فلسفه ده چې ما د ګاندي جي، باچا خان او مادر ټریسه نه زده کړې. دا هغه بخښنه ده چې ما د خپل پلار او خپلې مور نه زده کړې. زما روح ما ته هم دا وايي چې په امن ژوند کوه او هر چا سره مینه کوه.

زما خویندو او وروڼو، مونږ ته د رڼا ارزښت هله معلوم شي چې مونږ تیارهٔ ووینو. مونږ ته د خپل غږ ارزښت هغه وخت معلوم شي چې څوک مو په زوره چپ کړي. هم دغه شان، چې کله مونږ په سوات کې وو، د پاکستان شمال کې، مونږ ته د کتابونو اهمیت هغه وخت معلوم شو چې کله مو ټوپکې ولیدلې.

هغه د هوښیارانو متل چې 'قلم د تورې نه زیات زور لري' رښتیا دې. سخت ریځي د کتابونو او قلمونو نه پخوا یریدل او اوس هم تری یریږي. د زدکړی زور په دوی کې یره پیدا کوي. دوی د ښځو نه یریږي. د ښځو په غږ کې د زور نه دوی یریږي. او ځکه خو دوی لږه موده مخکې په کوټه کې ۱۴ معصومې زده کونکې ووژلې. او هم دغه وجه ده چې دوی په خیبر پښتونخوا او فاټا کې استاذانې او د پولیو کارکوونکې وژلي. او هم دغه وجه ده چې دوی هره ورځ سکولونه په بمونو الوزوي. ځکه چې دوی د بدلون نه پخوا یریدل او اوس هم یریږي، دوی د هغه برابرۍ نه یریږي چې مونږ به يې په ټولنه کې رابیایو. او ما ته یاد دي چې زمونږ په ښوونځي کې یو ماشوم و. هغه نه یو خبریال پوښتنه وکړه: طالبان د تعلیم مخالفت ولی کوي؟ هغه خپل کتاب ته په اشاره سره ډیر ساده ځواب ورکړو: طالب نه دی خبر چې دغه کتاب دننه څه لیکلي. دوی فکر کوي چې خدای وړوکی او رجعت پسنده دی او انجلې به دوزخ ته ځکه لیږې چې دوی سکول ته ځي. ترهګر د اسلام او د پښتنو ټولنې نوم د خپلو ذاتي ګټو د پاره کاروي. پاکستان یو سوله خوښوونکی جمهوري هیواد دی. پښتانه خپلو لوڼو زامنو د پاره تعلیم غواړي. او اسلام د امن، انسانیت او ورورولۍ دین دې. اسلام وايي چې تعلیم صرف د هر ماشوم حق نه دې، بلکه دا زمونږ یوه فریضه او ذمه واري ده.  

محترم سیکرټري جنرل، تعلیم د پاره امن ضروري دې. د نړۍ په ډیرو برخو کې، په خاصه افغانستان او پاکستان کې، ترهګري، جنګونه او جګړې ماشومان ښوونځیو ته نه پریږدي. مونږ له دغه جنګونو ډیر تنګ راغلي یو. د نړۍ په ډیرو ځایونو کې ښځې او ماشومان په ډیرو لارو تکلیفونه ګالي. په هند کې معصومه او بې وزله ماشومان په ماشومتوب کې کار کولو ته اړ دي. په نائجیریا کې ډیر سکولونه وران کړل شوي دي. لسیزو راهیسې د ترهګرۍ خنډونو د افغانستان د خلکو په ژوند اغیز کړې. وړې ماشومې د خلکو په کورونو کې کار کولو ته مجبوریږي او په کوچنیو عمرونو کې په زور واده کیږي. بې وزلي، جهالت، ناانصافي، توکمپالي او د بنسټیزو حقوقو نه محرومي هغه غټ مسایل دي چې دواړه سړي او ښځې ورسره مخامخ دي.

ګرانو ملګرو، نن زه د ښځو حقوقو او د جینکو تعلیم ته پام ورکوم ځکه چې هم دوئ تر ټولو زیات تکلیفونه ګالي. یو وخت و چې زنانه ټولنیزو فعاعلینو به سړو ته ویل چې د دوئ د حقوقو د پاره ودریږي، خو اوس به يې مونږ پخپله کوو. زه سړو ته دا نه وایم چې د ښځو د حقوقو د پاره غږ نه اوچتوي، خو زه ښځو ته پام ځکه کوم چې دوئ ازادې شي او پخپله ځان د پاره مبارزه وکړي.

ګرانو خویندو او وروڼو، اوس د غږ اوچتولو وخت دې. نو مونږ نن د نړۍ په مشرانو غږ کوو چې خپلې ستراتیجیکې پالیسۍ د امن او ترقۍ په حق کې بدلې کړي. مونږ د نړۍ په مشرانو غږ کوو چې په دغه ټولو موافقو کې د ښځو او ماشومانو حقوق خوندي وساتي. مونږ د پاره هغه موافقه د قبلولو وړ نه ده چې د ښځو حقوقو خلاف وي.  

مونږ د نړۍ پر ټولو دولتونو غږ کوو چې په ټولې دنیا کې هر ماشوم ته وړیا بنیادي تعلیم ورسوي. مونږ په ټولو حکومتونو غږ کوو چې د ترهګرۍ او تاؤتریخوالي خلاف مبارزه وکړي. ماشومان د ظلم او نقصان نه بچ کړي. مونږ په پرمختللو قومونو غږ کوو چې د نړۍ په پرمختلونکو هیوادونو کې د جینکو د پاره د تعلیمي فرصوتونو د غزیدا پوره ملاتړ وکړي. مونږ ټولو ټولنو باندی غږ کوو چې زغم خپل کړي، د نسل، عقیدی، فرقی، رنګ، مذهب یا ایجنډا په بنیاد تعصب رد کړي چې ښځو ته ازادي او برابري ترلاسه شي او پرمختګ وکړي. مونږ ټول تر هغې بریالي نشو کیدې چې تر څو مو نیم په نیمه خلک وروسته پاتې ساتل کیږي. مونږ خپلو ټولو خویندو باندې غږ کوو چې زړورې وسیږي، په زړه کې دننه زور ته هرکلې اوايي او خپل ټول استعدادونه پوره پوره وکاروي.

خوږو وروڼو او خویندو، مونږ د هر ماشوم ځلانده مستقبل د پاره ښوونځي او تعلیم غواړو. مونږ د امن او تعلیم منزل په لوري خپل سفر ته دوام ورکوو. مونږ څوک هم نشي ودرولې. مونږ به خپل حق د پاره خبره کوو او خپل غږ کې به بدلون راولو. مونږ د خپلو ټکو په زور او طاقت باندې یقین ساتو. چې مونږ ټول د تعلیم د پاره یو موټې شو، نو زمونږ ټکي نړۍ بدلولې شي. که مونږ خپل مقصد ته رسیدل غواړو، نو راځئ چې ځانونه د علم په وسله زورور کړو او په یووالي او اتفاق سره خپله دفاع وکړو.

خوږو وروڼو او خویندو، باید هیر نه کړو چې په لکونو کروړونو خلک د غربت، بې انصافۍ او جهالت د لاسه په کړاوونو کې ژوند کوي. باید چې هیر نه کړو په لکونو ماشومان سکولونو ته نه ځي. باید هیر نه کړو چې زمونږه خویندې او وروڼه د پرامنه او ځلانده مستقبل انتظار کوي.

نو راځئ چې بې سوادۍ، بې وزلۍ او ترهګرۍ خلاف یوه عظیم الشانه مبارزه پیل کړو. راځئ چې خپل کتابونه، قلمونه راواخلو ځکه چې هم دا تر ټولو زورورې وسلې دي. یو ماشوم، یو استاد، یو کتاب او یو قلم دنیا بدلولی شي. تعلیم د مسایلو د حل یواځینۍ لاره ده. تعلیم لومړۍ. مننه.

Adam Khor: For Fans Of The Bizzare

Adam Khor (1991)
Cast: Badar Munir, Shahnaz, Asif Khan, Naimat Sarhadi
Director: Qaiser Sanober
Synopsis: Horrible hairy behemoth on a gruesome rampage in this wild Pashto shocker

Reviewed by: Omar Khan

Yet another grisly death in the locality leaves the police totally baffled and the villagers increasingly irate and frantic at the inability of the law to protect them. Everyone speaks in hushed tones about the bloodthirsty "Adam Khor" who is supposedly responsible for the mounting death toll.

Who is this marauding Adam Khor and how can he be discovered and stopped from perpetrating further horrors on the innocent populace?

To make things worse, for the poor villagers, Haibat Khan -- a deranged worshipper of black satanic rituals -- enters the scene, haunting the villagers from the nearby forest. Every now and then, whenever the whim takes them, Haibat's men trash the village and carry off the women, slaughtering anyone who dares to stand in their bloody path. Haibat is in the habit [no pun intended] of hanging his victims upside down before hacking their heads off, spilling the blood into bubbling vats of flavorsome broth - (the apparent secret of his potent virility - take note Ma's Army).

Hauntingly, Haibat puts any chances of his apprehension to a halt by unleashing his fury on the local police inspector. Babur, the honest but, naive cop is savagely ripped to shreds in an orgy of violence as his wife gunned down in cold blood by Haibat's savages. The police officer's young sister, the plump Shahnaz witnesses in horror as her family is butchered before her eyes. Moments later she emerges, eyes sparkling with the fire of vengeance as she vows to devote her life to the sole mission of seeking out and destroying Haibat Khan once and for all. Off she goes into the forest to prepare herself for her one woman guerrilla operation.

Fabulous Poster of Adam Khor

Meanwhile, the village gets a new cop; the wrinkled but, virile Asif Khan. Haibat Khan's fearful goons abduct Asif's nubile younger sister. In a thriller packed scene, chasing her through the forest where they eventually corner her. But before they can make their final move an incredibly dramatic chain of events triggers, the earth begins to rumble and shake and cracks appear in the crust, in what appears to be a violent earthquake tremor the earth explodes and out comes a rather dusty savior in the form of the unflappable Badar Munir. Brushing off the earth from his clothes he single-handily thrashes Haibat's goons with the superhuman power [that he always seems to possess, Ah, Bless!].

However, while he is busy beating the goons to a pulp in the wilderness of the forest, the blood thirsty creature awakens. Within moments the girl is left bleeding and dead, eventually the police arrives to find Badar overlooking the corpse and he is immediately apprehended and locked up as the reviled "Adam Khor".

Fortunately for Badar his pet monkey launches a fearsome grenade attack on the police convoy [for real] and Badar is able to make a getaway to the jungle where he joins up with the vengeful sister of Babur.

Badar recalls the story of being vilified as adam-khor and watching his life being destroyed. The villagers' mobs set upon his poor parents and bludgeoned them to death for having spawned the evil "Adam Khor". Even the young brothers and sisters are hacked to pieces right in front of Badar's eyes.

After a grim struggle against the odds, Shahnaz and Badar eventually manage to track down Haibat Khan. However, they find far more than they ever bargained for as they discover that Haibat is more than just a maniacal trigger-happy psychotic Satan worshipper. In a telling moment Haibat behaves very strangely when offered some pulpy red ketchup for dinner one night, it seems to send him into rapturous throes of lustful ecstasy!

Clearly all is not well with Haibat Khan and his devoted wife soon begins to worry for her crazed husband who takes midnight strolls in the forest for reasons best known to himself.

Here is another delirious Pashto shocker that takes film-making to the very edge. The special effects are hysterical and the marauding fanged hairy behemoth, a sight for sore eyes. The gore levels are spectacular with man eating wooden dogs, flying bats, fanged monsters and demons, spinning heads and intestine ripping all being part of the delicious scenery - what more could a horror freak ask for!

Alas, the sleaze factor is minimal for a Pashto film though we do get one or two full-fledged Lycra clad bum shots being thrust in the camera lens on one or two tasteful occasions. This fabulous slice of pseudo werewolf delirium is a gem of rank awfulness and ineptitude. It takes considerable skill and talent to be able to conjure up a film with such an amazing lack of qualities.

Another quite astounding fact is that this film waltzed away with the Nigar award as the Best Pashto language film of 1991. Says volumes for the "quality" of local films. The movie was released on the 14th of April, 1991 and managed a fairly successful run at the box office and has often been released to steady business.

For fans of the bizarre, surely life can't be complete without having witnessed at least three Pashto films. Try to make this one of the three if you possibly can!

Jam Saqi: The forgotten rebel

“I don't believe in the dictatorship of the proletariat” Jam Saqi

An exclusive interview conducted by Zaman Khan

Mohammad Jam, commonly known as Jam Saqi, is one of the few Pakistanis who have become legends in their own lives. He was born on October 31, 1946, in Janjhi village of Tharparkar district in a family of teachers. His father, Mohammad Sachal, was a dedicated educationist, who was instrumental in the opening of many schools, particularly those for girls, in Thar. Jam Saqi's mother Menhbai was illiterate at the time of her marriage but Mohammad Sachal taught her to become a teacher as well.

Afrasiab Khattak: An Unlikely Crusader

-originally published in 2000 by Pakistanlink

by S.A Hussein

A few weeks ago I had the rare opportunity to meet one of the most remarkable men from Pakistan. Though I had known him for over ten years through his lucid and incisive commentaries on social and political issues and had talked to him on the phone, I had not met him.

Afrasiab Khattak is that rare breed of Pukhtun intellectuals who having come from a feudal background, has transcended cultural, religious and social barriers to become a liberal crusader for the rights of women and minorities in Pakistan. In a patriarchal society where ancient tribal codes and narrow and often skewed interpretation of religion leave very little room for civil debate, his unabashed stand for human rights is refreshing if surprising. In these uncertain times many Pakistani liberals have either changed their stripes or have decided to remain quiet.

My Election Predictions for PTI in KPK Province

by Faisal

This blog summarizes my predictions to discuss the prospects of PTI in KPK province. They are largely based on intuition, after some discussions with locals, previous election results, and a careful analysis. Hence, they can be called an “educated guesswork." Most of my interactions with various people are coming from particular constituencies.

I will only discuss the National Assembly seat; whereas, the corresponding impact on the provincial assembly can be left open to the understanding of the readers. However, it is a common observation in KPK, that people cast votes to two different parties on provincial and national levels within the same constituency.

Elections 2013 and threats to the liberal political parties

by Syed Fida Hassan Shah 

For the very first time in our history, Pakistan is going to complete a peaceful transfer of power from one democratically elected government to another. This is no less than an achievement for a country that is notorious for military coup and unceremonious dismissal of political governments. But this peaceful transition is turning into a bloody one, especially for the parties who were partners in a coalition government from 2008-2013. Candidates belonging to the secular and nationalist Awami National Party (ANP), mainstream Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) and The Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) have been attacked by the militants, killing many innocent people and threatening the election campaigns of these parties.

My recent visit to Islamabad

by Huma Naseri

When it comes to relationships between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the perception is based on antagonism to its peak on either side of the border. This historical aversion allows us to critically think about the root causes of conflict between both countries.

After the creation of Pakistan in 1947, based on a neutral history of the region from non-related players, Pakistanis have often expressed their fundamental threat from its western hemisphere as well as its eastern borders. This threat is genuine as Afghanistan was the first to veto Pakistan’s creation in 1947. Since then, Pakistan’s foreign and national strategic polices were built and pursued on countering major threats from both hemispheres to Pakistan’s national interests.

On the other side, the pre-dominantly Pashtun regions, known as "Pashtoonistan," is considered to be an integral part of Afghanistan’s territory, where the main pivot among both nations is the pivotal Durand line of 1893, which Pakistan claims to have resolved with Afghanistan. Yet, Afghanistan contradicts Pakistan's claim that a resolve has been determined, saying that the conflict of the border is yet to be discussed with Pakistan. This whole ordeal has thus created an atmosphere of animosity between both nations, which is now elevated to new heights.

However, it is almost forgotten that there is a colossal difference between perception and reality. Perception is what you see and reality is what is or, in other words, reality is the way things actually are; perception is our interpretation of reality. To me, the animosity between Afghans and Pakistanis is just a matter of ‘perception', not reality, and if it is simply perception then how are we to overcome it? One of the best ways would be to create a platform where people can interact with each other, ensuring that they do not become negatively influenced by what the media represents.

Thus, based on bilateral interactions between Afghan and Pakistani youngsters, a more progressive approach is sought and persuaded. Bearing that in mind, the civil society took initiatives of inviting a group of Afghan civil society members to Pakistan to talk about building bridges of trust and peace between the two nations (as both nations share a lot in common). Few of us were first-time visitors to Pakistan, while other members of the Afghan team, including myself, spent a large chunk of their lives in Pakistan. During one of the initial meetings, I recalled the attitude of one of the Afghan team members, who was a first-time visitor to Pakistan, while expressing his feelings towards the big input between both countries. He said:

“Prior to my arrival in Pakistan, I had thoughts of facing some challenging and offensive interaction from the Pakistani team; but, after our first meeting, I was surprised by the likelihood and the positive interaction conducted by the Pakistani team, which has now changed my perception."

He also went on to express his overall feelings about his visit and admitted that his negative sentiments and perceptions about Pakistan have further changed dramatically.

The reaction of my fellow Afghans reminded me of my first time visit to the United States, where I stayed for a period of one month, while attending an educational course on non-violence and peace at the Rhode Island University. This was also my first time being amongst multi-national students gathered in one location. During my educational program, my American fellow stood up and said that he always felt very disheartened whenever he heard about the deaths of Americans in Afghanistan, but after having met me -- an Afghan -- he will, from now onwards, feel the same pain for the suffering and deaths of Afghans.

The statements, made by both my Afghan and American fellows, brings our attention to one common point: by interacting with each other, we have a tendency to quell stereotypes on each other. Further, our goal in Pakistan was achieved double-folded, where the first goal was to build on good relationships and eradicate any misconceptions. Both the Afghan and Pakistani groups acted as a bridge to connect two nations. We all tried our best to share our thoughts and ideas in a civilized and respectable manner. We discussed how immature the statements of the politicians are and how they can negatively impact the two nations, resulting in a lose-lose situation. Besides, by instigating violence and animosity among both nations, who will be the winners/losers? Is it the politicians and their kids, or is it the ordinary citizens of both countries who are suffering from the wrong policies enforced by the government? To me, it is the ordinary citizens of both countries!

For instance, during the recent attacks on Goessel in Ghoshta district of Nengrahar, Afghanistan, the Pakistan side once again fuelled the fragile relationship and escalated it into a full-fledged war, which thus resulted in the tragic loss of innocent lives. We never stop to pause and think about those who make us fight and suffer,while they, themselves, enjoy their luxurious life. It is we, the young generation of both countries, that will have to work hard and make every effort possible to achieve sustainable peace. Hence, it is we, as a nation, who vote and elect governments.

Further, a great case example is the Azerbaija-Armenian border dispute over Nagorno-Karabag due to the peace-making efforts that took place between both countries. Thus, Afghanistan and Pakistan, should look into similar peace initiatives in order to bring about peace and stabilization. Also, during the tension between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the mothers of the soldiers of both countries played an important role by raising their voices as a slogan of peace: "Those who die on the borders of both countries are our sons."  Armenians also placed heavy pressure on the their government to give the occupied land back to Azerbijan so as to put an end to the conflict.

Moreover, both Afghanistan and Pakistan are peace-loving nations and share a lot in common. Even during my stay in Pakistan, I never felt like I was a foreigner in that country. While most of our religious and cultural interactions could be a juncture for sharing new ideas and new approaches, our languages are so easily understood that many words are already shared in both the official languages of the countries. This can thus lead to many economical advantages, since both countries are dependent on each other  in various ways, when it comes to the ground-lines of communication. Yet, at the same time, the major challenge to today’s youth is that they belong to diverse societies where some narratives and misconceptions have filled their hearts with unnecessary animosity towards each other, which can only be cured through a sound and interactive communication.

At the end of the day, we are all human and have made past mistakes, considering the fragile relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan. We, the youth, need to come forward and use the realities versus opinions/perceptions paradigm, and act according to our critical thinking in order to drive forth the peace-building efforts. Both nations must discover their talents and capabilities, and should not be hesitant to share those skills, in order to establish a more prosperous and positive relationship in the future.

Huma Naseri is an ethnic Pashtun female currently residing in Kabul, Afghanistan. She attained her Masters degree in International Relations from Germany, and is in the process of pursuing her Ph.D. She blogs at: http://www.phoenix-n.com/