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    Lets Stand for Peace    "My eyes are dim, Am I loosing hope? Blood, gore and death. I can't sleep,   Cries reverberate in my mind Miseries, cries and tears Trembling hands and faded faces Make me realize, This is not a time to sleep, to smile, to be in our dreams If we remain silent as dead as grave Flames will soon reach to burn our dreams to ashes Lets stand amid the darkness Lets bring our boats to the shore of love Feel love within us Feel love surrounding us Lets stand together Lets join our hands Lets stand for Peace " Shahbaz Israr Khan

I am in Trouble: Random Thoughts and Confusing views  Well today, I decided to talk to you rather of writing a formal article. Most of the times informal talk is better than a formal conversation. In most of formal gatherings, I try to talk to people at the tea break, it is the best time to make alliance or lobby for a thing you want to . Surely, I can not offer you here a cup of tea but what we can do is to share experiences in a most simple and informal way, so we can pin point issues and can propose and work on solutions. Let's do it now. Wait! first grab a cup of coffee before going further, I do have it here Can you feel it? hummm! If you can feel then bring some cookies too!!!! So what kind of trouble am I in? I do not have headache, my legs are fine, no weak eyesight and not even suffering with schizophrenia.  But even then I am sad. Am I sad about you or about myself? Ah! probably yes, I am. Life is so busy that we are mostly unconcerned about others ...

Transforming a university conflict into a student development platform Dr. Shahbaz Israr Khan June 11, 2013 Published by Peace and Conflict Monitor  Link: http://www.monitor.upeace.org/innerpg.cfm?id_article=990   In this article, Dr. Khan tells the story of how the student council of Gomal University was formed to mediate a conflict between two student societies, and eventually became a way for students to break down the barriers between them and play a meaningful role in the administration of the university. The conflict I am discussing here is an experience that my team and I, as a president of a student council [1] , had mediated and transformed at Gomal University, Pakistan, in 2008. Gomal University is located in Khyber Pukhtunkhaw (KP) province of Pakistan and receives students from all four provinces of the country and also from other countries like Sudan, Kenya, Nepal, Egypt, Syria are among few to mention. Most of the st...

Data tabulation: ‘Province lacks groups focused on youth’     Data tabulation: ‘Province lacks groups focused on youth’ By Our Correspondent Published: May 6, 2013 Share this article Print this page Email As many as 14 districts in the Punjab have no youth organisations at all,” says Shahbaz Israr Khan. DESIGN: SUNARA NIZAMI/FILE LAHORE:  “There is a dearth of youth-focused and youth-led organisations in many districts in the province. As many as 14 districts in the Punjab have no youth organisations at all,” said Bargad Programme Officer Shahbaz Israr Khan. Dr Khan has a degree in Gender and Peace Building from the UN  University for Peace. He led a team to develop the first ever Youth Directory, which aims to collate data on all youth organisations and informal groups in the country. The first volume was released last month by Bargad, an NGO working for the development of the youth. The project funded by a...

Pakistan has the 6 th largest population in the world and will surpass Brazil and Malaysia till 2045. This population has a large segment of youth, the term known as youth bulge. The issue of youth becomes increasingly important when youth outnumbers other segments of the society and in this situation it is necessary to channelize the energies of youth and provide them platforms and opportunities, so they can effectively participate and contribute to the development of the country. For youth empowerment a policy framework is essential which can bring integrated youth development in the country. After 18 th amendment in the constitution of Pakistan, youth is a provincial subject and the each province has to formulate its youth policy. Bargad and UNFPA have already provided technical assistance to the government of Punjab to formulate the youth policy of the province. It was successfully launched in June 2012. The organizations   are facilitating the governments of Khyber Pak...

At the Side of the Road- Our Future Pakistan: December 11, 2012 : At the outskirts of Jaffarabad (a flood affected area in Balochistan), on the side of the road, I found two children, hardly five years old, collecting something from a heap of garbage. I went to them and observed what they were doing. They were picking iron pieces from a heap of garbage. On inquiring they told that they earn 20 rupees (Quarter US Dollar) after the whole day work. Their homes were destroyed by recent floods and had to work to earn for their homes. I was so sad to see the future of Pakistan at the side of the road picking some iron pieces. Balochistan government has still not made international appeal   for the flood affectees and civil society is silent. There are thousands of families who are perishing and our future is collecting pieces of iron. Is it not a moment to think!!!!