By Shabbir Hussain
ISLAMABAD, Sunday, Oct 18, Diplomatic Star (DS): Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) Resident Representative in Pakistan Dr Steffen Kudella said digitalization had no borders as it had brought the people much closer.
Addressing the 9th international conference on ‘The Dynamics of Change in the Pakistan-Afghanistan Region: Politics, (Dis) Integration and Reformation in the Borderland’, he said “Borders separate us, but that does not mean that we are not connected with our neighbours. Today, we are even more connected than ever due to digital change.”
Dr Steffen said the HSF felt pride in supporting the digital event to bring the people from Pakistan and Afghanistan together for discussing the key regional issues and sort out their solutions.
He said,”Democracy requires those who vote to be prepared to choose wisely. Political wisdom, therefore, is the precondition of any successful democracy, and political wisdom depends on education.”
He also inaugurated a digital studio at PSUP, scheduled to host International Summer School on the same topic.
Addressing the conference as a chief guest Prof Dr Ijaz Khan Khattak of Quaid-i-Azam University said the people residing along across the Pak-Afghan border had a long history of interaction, besides deep-rooted economic, social and political relations.
He said there was a potential for the borderlands to become a source of peace for the region and friendship between Afghanistan and Pakistan by enhancing the cooperation among their people along the border because they belonged to same ethnicity, culture and religion.
The online conference was organized by the Department of Political Science of the University of Peshawar (PSUP) and Hanns Seidel Foundation Pakistan.
The conference was attended by a large number of people, including faculty members and students of universities, besides national and international experts.
Speakers were of the view that the people living along the both sides of Pak-Afghan border could play a vital role for regional peace because of long history of relations based on same religion, culture and ethnicity.
