Florence Eshalomi - MP for Vauxhall, Lambeth

Irfan Mohammed – Lambeth Councillor and Lead for Islamophobia

Humaira Saleem – Headteacher, Iqra VA Primary School

Colin Wingrove – BCU Commander Central South (Lambeth and Southwark)

Huda Osman – IRU Admin Assistant and Caseworker

Hauwa Shehu – District Crown Prosecutor, CPS London South and Chair, CPS Muslim Network

The seminar was being hosted live on YouTube and took place on Zoom as it was during the pandemic. Other organisers and hosts included Nordin Jahar and Moustapha Bechir. Sadly in some parts of the diverse borough of Lambeth there has been a spike in in Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate crime. In order to raise awareness of this, a seminar was organised by the community. Ash-shahada has been working alongside community organisations, leaders and charities on community safety for a number of years and was part of a Ministry of Justice funded program in 2004 to house those released from the justice system.

Listening to concerns of residence from the beginning of the year around the levels of hate crime increasing and in general the rise of anti-Muslim sentiment across UK and elsewhere, it was necessary for us to be part of the seminar to have voices heard and see what organisations are doing to tackle it.

Florence Eshalomi MP said the Muslim community has been suffering under the hostile environment approach of the government and we have to work together for it to be called out. She continued: “One of the things I’ve very much been looking at as a Member of Parliament is some of the legislation we will be setting in Parliament and I’m quite worried about some of the language and the rhetoric coming out from the current government. It’s really important we call out some of those issues, especially where again, they will highlight and play into the hands of those people who seek to divide us.”

Cllr Irfan Mohammed said it was wonderful to have the first Islamophobia awareness conference. He continued: “This event is led by the fantastic community which it gives the identity and strength, and also shows how passionate the community is to tackle Islamophobia within borough and the wider society. Last year, we saw a real increase in engagement with the Muslim community. Sadly, we’ve had this pandemic of covid-19 which meant this year we’ve had to revisit some of the strategies we want to implement. Some of the things we have done as a Council is we’ve held a number of meetings with Muslim leaders and have dialogue with key members of the community .. [supported] two Eid receptions which were held at the Town Hall, interfaith community iftar organised at the Town Hall … adopted the definition of Islamophobia which I had raised at full Council and had two great leaders of the community in Umar Mahmood and Humaira Saleem to deputise towards.”

Humaira Saleem, Headteacher at Iqra Primary School, spoke of the anti-Muslim sentiment faced by Muslims online after a photo posted by Florence Eshalomi online of a school visit to “Mayor’s Question Time” attracted some shocking comments. She added: “Every time I read these I feel sad. I don’t have to convince you that prejudice against Muslims is really present in the British society I know that Islamophobia is wide spread in Britain. The children in my school and my family have experienced it, the women in my family and school have experienced it, I as a Muslim woman have experienced it. it is very real and very painful. It has a lasting negative impact on those who have endured it. When we held in our school the very first session to discuss with parents this issue of islamophobia, many of the mothers came forward actually and they shared with us their really horrific lived experiences such as their hijab being snatched and pulled from their heads, being called names in front of their children to the extern their children were made to cry.”

Colin Wingrove, BCU Commander for Lambeth and Southwark, spoke on the police engagement to build trust and confidence. He added: “…We can support victims and families and bring perpertrators of hate crime and Islamohpboa to justice. I think that is incredibly important. We do a huge amount of community engagement and I think that is really where it starts, trying to build trust and confidence, so we have safer neighbourhood teams and our officers in every ward .. we have what we call our partnership and prevention hub with officers who specifically deal with hate crime and faith []based] crime, making links with different organisations and certainly making links with mosques and the Muslim community in Lambeth to ensure that we can provide information and be a source of support and advice. There are many new ways over the last few years around how people can report cvrime to us. If anyone goes online and looks at the Met Police website (www.met.police.uk) ..  you can also find information about how to report crime and it takes you through those steps so you can report online those offences. In an emergency always call 999 and you can always call 101 [for reporting] but there are many new ways you can report crime because we need to know what’s happening and we need people to be confident to come forward so they can access the service that we deliver on your behalf in your local communities.

Hauwa Shehu, District Crown Prosecutor at CPS London South and Chair of CPS Muslim Network, said: “What’s been really beautiful about this session today is seeing this completely multidisciplinary approach to this problem because I think that is the only we can truly tackle it. In terms of aims and objectives, I just want to be able to give enough information to support individuals from the community, whether you are Muslim or not whatever your background is, to be able to be confident in how you can report hate crime. Representation really matters. For me growing up, I did not see black Muslim barristers and now that I have become a barrister, I know there are a lot of us. Not just Muslim barristers, but ones who are visibly Muslim. We do a lot of work with schools … because they say the girls do not see enough role models that look like them.” Hauwa recommended the community report any and all instances of Islamophobia and not to self categorise incidents, stating that the relevant authorities will deal with the cases. She also recommended a wider piece of work around education for Muslims and non-Muslims, learning about Islam and learning about how to report crimes.

Dr Jak Beula, representing the Nubian Jak Community Trust, was the Master of Ceremonies. African drumming was also part of the ceremony. Umar Mahmood, attended and read a verse from the Quran expounding on the understanding that man was created into nations and tribes to know one another and not that they hate or despise each other. he spoke on the Muslim contribution to the peace efforts and explained the how over 400,000people from the Indian subcontinent, many of whom were Muslim, were part of the efforts to bring world peace. He also applauded the Black Muslim community contribution and the bravery of Muslim soldiers which is often white washed. He reminded people to pick up history books and see where the gaps are in the appreciation of their communities and teach this to the next generation.

Lt Col Anthony Mims (US Embassy London) spoke of the female presence within the force that helped to keep people safe. He said women were central to a number of operations and relayed stories of women in London supporting US and UK forces.

The wreath laying ceremony followed the speeches and prayers.

Our members expressed their sadness in the immediate aftermath of the incident and shared their concerns about potential reprisals and said it would be useful to have a community response. This was taken up by Umar Mahmood. There was an array of contributions from the diverse, vibrant and neighbourly community illustrated by the coming together of people from all walks of life.

The main activity to show solidarity started off with a moment of silence, prayers and reflections being led by Streatham faith leaders from South London Islamic Centre, a local Synagogue, and some of the nearby churches. It was hosted by Director Umar Mahmood and Simi Solomon, a church coordinator. Following the prayers and reflections, which renewed hopes to maintain peace and love amongst the community, and called for justice in the society, working together to achieve the potential of a united Streatham community. The unified group of locals gathered to display harmony, unity, and put across their response to the attack on their community less than a week prior.

The Mayor expressed his sentiments by praising the attendees: “You set an example to other parts of our city, other parts of our country, and other parts of the world, because you are a beacon, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart… There are some people around the world who think diversity is a weakness, I think the opposite, I think diversity is a strength, and Streatham you have shown the world that.”

Umar Mahmood said: “Reaching out to the Muslim community has been very important to us. So many Muslims are based in Streatham and in Lambeth as a whole. When we were contacted with concerns, we listened to them and thought about how we can collaborate with other community allies to stand together and support residents. This was an amazing show of community solidarity.”

Speaking on Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s support, Umar Mahmood said: “Sadiq has been a great supporter of our work, especially the activities promoting interfaith harmony. We’ve been leading or been part of interfaith work for the last 20 years, so Lambeth has a certain uniqueness about it. I want to also say we join hands together naturally in times of happiness as well as days like this where reflection is required.”

Other elements of the day included chalk drawings on the pavement outside the Odeon cinema where people from all backgrounds joined in. The organisers of this amazing day included Dr Hannah May-Miller, Canon Anna Norman-Walker, Zoie Kennedy, Xenia Davis, Claire Timmins and many others.

Toaha Qureshi MBE, Chairman Ash-Shahada Housing Association, said that it was a Muslim-led housing association, the first of its kind to be established in the UK in 1989. As a registered social landlord, ASHA has been providing housing in hostels, flats and houses in the prestigious London Boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark. Mr. Qureshi MBE said that ASHA has 149 general needs homes and 51 hostel bed spaces, with 62 permanent dwellings in management in Lambeth and 21 in Southwark. He shared with the audience reception audience their plans to move from a London-based housing association to expansion in the midlands and beyond to meet the real needs of England’s housing crisis. Mr. Qureshi MBE said that the UK was facing a huge crisis stemming from inequality and poverty: rising use of food banks, increasing levels homelessness, growing need for providing BME communities housing etc. To tackle these issues, he said that it was important that more BME and Muslim led housing associations are fostered to lead the way to solving these issues. Too many people fall through the cracks in society through lack of housing, more so since austerity cuts, and more so outside of London. Mr. Qureshi MBE vowed to use his resources to take these problems head on.

Speaking on the celebration of Eid, Mr. Qureshi MBE appreciated the various people of faith and none who were in attendance to celebrate the joyous occasion. Eid marks the conclusion of the Hajj pilgrimage and is a sign of equality and community resilience. Referring to a statement made by the famous activist Malcolm X after his pilgrimage stating “They asked me what about the Hajj had impressed me the most…The people of all races, colours, from all over the world coming together as one!”, he asserted that every man and woman is equal in the eyes of God, no matter their colour, nationality or background and it is on this basis that we can create a fairer society. He concluded that it was important for the Muslim community to work with other faiths to build bridges.

Helen Hayes MP, Member of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee, said that there was a particular resonance of the theme of sacrifice and resilience in Eid that was shared by the community. In Eid we have a reminder to look after those in our community who need help and support, to work to address the challenges and divisions which are making life harder for many people. The challenges, according to Helen Hayes MP, include poverty, national and global uncertainty and those who wish to divide the community bonds. The commitment of thousands of Muslims to the Holy Pilgrimage, Hajj, is testimony to the equality shown through Islam. We live among people of many different faiths and the freedom to worship and live out one’s faith is one of the most precious aspects of British democracy, she added.

Helen Hayes MP added that the story of Abraham, which is recalled in Eid Al Adha, is shared by Muslims, Christians and Jews and it is festivals like these that allow us to come together to remind ourselves of the humanity we share and to redouble our efforts to fight racism, prejudice and division wherever they are found with a strong and united front. The need for this has never been greater.

Speaking on housing, Helen Hayes MP said that this was the single biggest practical issue facing her constituents. The government has some very serious challenges in this area and it is no exaggeration to refer to it as a housing crisis. She said that it was extremely difficult for people to access genuinely affordable social housing they need. The definition set by the government is also problematic because because many people fall outside of the reach. In that context, small specialist housing associations like Ash Shahada with a very strong sense of social purpose for the community they serve, is vitally important. The need for support housing is growing with the ageing population as well as sheltered housing which includes housing to support people with learning and physical disabilities, mental health needs, survivors of domestic abuse and those in rehabilitation. An inquiry into the housing crisis, led by Helen Hayes MP, showed that the government’s approach has not been working and found that it was stifling new supply. The government changed its approach as result of the report toward funding of supported housing. Helen Hayes MP wished ASHA success on its growth plans and was delighted to hear that they plan on going further into supported housing.

Helen Hayes MP concluded by commending the work that Ash Shahada and FIRD are doing; providing housing for people in Lambeth and Southwark, building cohesion and breaking down the divisions between communities; she said it was absolutely vital and as the constituency member of Parliament, she was grateful for it. She offered her full support for the work and wished everyone Eid Mubarak.

Councillor Ibrahim Dogus, Deputy Mayor of Lambeth, said that Eid Ul Adha is a powerful message against extremism and a reminder that human life is not to be sacrificed in God’s name. Commending FIRD and ASHA, he added that more Muslim-led organisations are needed to find answers to complex problems at both a local and global level. He added that it is gatherings like this that keep us rooted in our belief that we can work better together to tackle the issues that face our community. Our resilience to extremism, in all forms and from all sides, is shown in no better way than this interfaith celebration.

Umar Mahmood said that Eid is a time of charity and it is no surprise that Muslims have been found to be the most charitable faith in the UK. It is often that our contributions to society are ignored, which is why the Muslim community should make more noise about the positive work they do. He added that Islamic finance, which includes the charitable act of Zakat, is estimated to reach £2.3tn by 2020 globally and could support the sustainable development goals of the UK if the government are willing to listen to the Muslim community. Speaking on islamophobia being fanned by politicians and far right extremists, he said that it is a testament to our diverse community spirit that we come together to celebrate the positive times rather than showing our strength during bad times. He said that coming together to celebrate and share our commonalities serves to counter the extremists that want to divide us.

Mayor of Southwark Catherine Rose said that she was pleased to attend the Eid reception on behalf of the people of Southwark as a sign of appreciation for the work being carried out by FIRD and ASHA. She said it was vitally important that people have good homes and their lives are secure. Vulnerable need to be able to trust the organisations that they rely on to provide security during difficult times in their lives and Ash Shahada is a great source for that because it helps those vulnerable people restart their lives. She said that the Muslim community is warm and welcoming, so it is immensely important that work by Muslim-led organisations like Ash Shahada continues. The Mayor added that she appreciated the work of the support officers, carers, faith organisations and volunteers that ensure that this work is being carried out and should be recognised.

Councillor Liaquat Ali MBE, Chairman British Muslim Mayors Association, commended the work that FIRD had been doing for over fifteen years and urged more organisation to emulate the working methods to be successful in the future. He added that it was important that Muslims take the lead, as they have been doing for a long time, to break down barriers of extremism. Shokat Ali, Chairman British Muslim Friends of Labour, welcomed the initiative of Muslim led organisations in inviting non-Muslims to celebrate in the Eid festivities to help greater understanding and learning of the faith. He added that Muslims around the world are proud of the work being carried out here.

Prince Kamanda, board member of Ash Shahada Housing Association, offered his warm thanks to all who attended, stating that the organisation is a true case study of interfaith in action by having non-Muslims in the board, such as himself. He said that God is looking for people to love each other and communicate between each other, just as God would talk to Adam and Eve. Referring to the Bible’s “give honour to whom honour is due”, Prince Kamanda appreciated the dedication and effort that Umar Mahmood had put into building bridges between communities and different faiths. Alongside Helen Hayes MP, Mayor of Southwark Catherine Rose, Councillor Liaquat Ali MBE and Toaha Qureshi MBE, a certificate of recognition “for over a decade of services to interfaith harmony and community cohesion” was presented to Umar Mahmood. He said he was grateful for the recognition and pledged to continue to work to bring faiths closer together and provide opportunities for dialogue. At the conclusion of the reception, special guest Rear Admiral Dr Nassar Ikram HI (M) SI (M), Pro Rector of National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), was presented with the newly published book Qayam e Aman aur Aqwam e Alam authored by Toaha Qureshi MBE.

Commodore Raja Rab Nawaz, Dr Piotr Konwicki, Willayet Khokhar, Dr. Farrukh Hussain, Alina Scheider, Shuaib Sheikh, Zaynab Qureshi, Stuart Wilson, Shahzada Hayat, Rev Alan Gadd, PC Lance Edmondson, Dr. Salma Shaheen, Marina Rumyanskaya, Ayub Aulia, Qazi Atif Ali, Anees Nasir, Rehman Sheikh, Wafaa Charih, Usama Ijaz and others were also present. The Eid reception was attended by educationists, representatives of thePakistan High Commission, councillors, charities, Metropolitan police, community leaders, faith leaders, tenants, carers, students, journalists, entrepreneurs and more.

Lord Nazir welcomed the guests and thanked FIRD for organizing this timely seminar. Toaha Qureshi MBE said that Pakistan had been made the scapegoat for far too long by media, politicians and the West, citing recent threats and accusations made by the US and its President Donald Trump. He said that Pakistan as a nation had been making sacrifices regularly through its people and image. He criticized groups for saying that Pakistan has become a target for just minorities when the entire nation had been targeted at some point; stating that military, naval and Air headquarters, universities, schools, mosques, churches, Madrassas, shrines, markets and the like had all been attacked. He said that Pakistan still had the opportunity to fulfil its role to intertwine faith and state as the UK has to bring about peace in the region. Mr Qureshi added that little known or appreciated by too many, both inside and outside, Pakistan possess an incredible cultural and physical beauty.

Mr. Qureshi concluded by saying that rather than solely relying on solely state to state diplomacy, the government should make every effort to create a better understanding of Pakistan’s position on certain issues and its image internationally, countering the negative propaganda against it by other countries by projecting the soft image of the country. He further added that economically and politically stable Pakistan provides a guarantee of peace in the region and this is what the world should be working towards by supportingPakistan through trade not aid. Having said that Pakistan needed to get its act together by bringing politicians, judiciary, bureaucracy and army on one page with regards to the protection of ideological and physical boundaries of Pakistan.

Mufti Taqi Usmani in his speech commented on the title of seminar by raising a basic question: “Why has Pakistan been misunderstood?” He discussed in detail the idea behind creation of Pakistan and the phrase ‘Islamic State’ that has been taken by the ISS that consequently brought bad name to Pakistan as well. According to Mufti Usmani, the idea was to build Pakistan a real democratic Islamic nation based on Islamic teachings, which unfortunately has not been achieved yet. Mufti Usmani acknowledged that Pakistan is not a failed state as it has improved itself over time, however there is still ample room for improvement by making it a full democratic Islamic nation. In order to improve, he proposed that there should be an effort in Pakistan to build a democratic and moderate Islamic nation and it will consequently resolve the problem of extremism.

While elaborating upon the current political situation in Pakistan, Senator Mian Muhammad Ateeq Shaikh criticized the role of politicians and held politicians and parliamentarians responsible for the prevailing chaotic situation in Pakistan. He stressed upon the rule of law and a law equal to all should be implemented in Pakistan. He added that politicians were making it too easy for opponents of Pakistan to ridicule them and promote a negative image of an amazing country. Senator praised FIRD for arranging the seminar as it highlighted the fact that Pakistan did not have strong representation in defending and promoting itself.

Lord Hussain said that the Pakistan he left and the Pakistan he sees today are not the same. He held Western policies during the 1980s Soviet war in Afghanistan responsible for the present-day problems and negative image of Pakistan. He categorically stated that the West has done the most wrong and damage to Pakistan. Lord Hussain also recognized the lack of human resource that can defend Pakistan or project positive image of Pakistan therefore there is a need to project legitimate concerns of Pakistan in a proactive manner at every level.

For this, Mr Qureshi urged Pakistani parliamentarians, politicians and especially High Commissions of Pakistan/Pakistani embassies around the world to work to defend Pakistan’s image and defend legitimate Pakistani concerns such as human rights violation in Kashmir.

Lord Nazir expressed his criticism about the existing mindset Pakistan that there is always a conspiracy working against Pakistan and the habit of blaming the West. He said that since no political party in Pakistan has mentioned Kashmir issue in their manifesto at this election, Pakistanis could not blame the West for this as Pakistan itself had not put this issue at the forefront.

Qari Hanif Jalandhry, Member Islamic Ideology Council and Secretary General of WMAP, explained the two types of terrorismPakistan is facing. One is related to terrorist acts such as suicide bombing that has a historical background of when Soviets invaded Afghanistan and thousands of Mujahideen were trained to fight Soviets, however were left unattended once Soviets left Afghanistan and the US interest was served. This gradually gave rise to today’s chaos Pakistan is facing. The other form of terrorist activities is carried out on the basis of ethnic lines that has links to Pakistan’s neighbouring country (India) that have been translated many times.

Considering the need to change the mindset in Pakistan, Qari Jalandhry highlighted the efforts of religious scholars to help improve positive image of Pakistan and counter the misunderstanding by internal and external parties. His organization has urged Pakistanigovernment that the citizens of Pakistan should be distinguished as Muslims and non-Muslims instead of calling non-Muslims ‘minorities’. He also talked about the syllabus that is being taught in their madrassas, which involves both religious education as well as secular education up to master’s degree level. Later on during discussion, Mrjalandhry stressed, in response to a question regarding syllabus, that their madrassas put a lot of weight on ethics.

Moreover, Qari Jalandhry made the audience aware of the book Paigham e Pakistan (Message of Pakistan), written by Mufti Taqi Usmani, and his organisation’s and peers’ efforts addressing the issues related to terrorism and jihad, which was adopted by government of Pakistan as an official document. According to this document, the scholars clarified and made their position clear:

• Terrorism and suicide bombing has nothing to do with Islam and it is forbidden.
• It is illegal to take arms to implement Islam in Pakistan – Islam in Pakistan can only be implemented through Parliament.
• Only the state of Pakistan can announce jihad in case of an enemy’s attack, no private jihad is accepted or allowed.

Discussing the fact that there exists a gap between the West and Pakistan, he opined the only way for this to be resolved is if the West drops its double-standards policy. During a discussion with the US Secretary of State, he said that the West call whateverPakistan do adding the prefix of “Islamic”, but whenever a non-Muslim country do something such as create a bomb, they do not term it Christian bomb or Jewish bomb and until this double standard is not stopped, there will always be a problem. He also urged that there is a need to understand terrorism as a human issue, an international issue instead of associating it with religion or state as numerous religious scholars have condemned terrorism and it is unfair to castigate one group of people.

During the Q&A, a question was raised that if we want to make Pakistan a democratic and moderate Islamic state than which version of Islam should be followed. Mufti Taqi Usmani said that when Pakistan was being created, there was a set of 22 principles that Muslims from all sects accepted as the basis of the Islamic republic but was sad to see that due to personal interests from different parties, the different sects began fighting over issues that were not fundamental to the Islamic republic.

Responding to a question related to employment opportunities for graduates from madrassas (Religious Schools), Mufti TaqiUsmani and Qari Hanif Jalandhry informed the audience that the educational courses provided in their madrassas are equivalent to Masters in Arabic being taught in other universities and so the employment opportunities for madrassa graduates madrassas are the same as someone graduating elsewhere as they have seen those with master degrees in business and other subject also unemployed. They said that the percentage is quite low for someone who has graduated through a madrassa to have no employment. When asked whether there was a need for regulating further the madrassas, Qari Jalandhry said that it was the Islamic scholars that urged the government to regulate madrassas and after much pressure they did so. He said that in Pakistan there is a law that whenever a madrassa is established, it has to be registered with the government. Madrassas part of the WMAP board are registered with the government. He further added that there are also secular private schools which are not registered with the government but there is little light shone on this. He further clarified that madrassas affiliated with any of the five Wafaqs (Religious Educational Boards) inPakistan have one single syllabus that has been accepted by the government and various sects of Islamic, making it easier to regulate their activities.

In response to comments from leaders of British-Pakistani organisations, Lord Ahmed said that in parliament, Pakistani origin parliamentarians were doing their part such as asking the House of Lords to add the book Paigham e Pakistan, adopted by the government of Pakistan, to the House of Lords library. He questioned what the organisations representing Pakistanis in the UK were doing to counter the misunderstood status of Pakistan as opposed to jumping on the bandwagon spiriting out of those groups who wish to tarnish the reputation of Pakistan. Responding to questions about the upcoming elections, Toaha Qureshi MBE said that the result must be accepted for a smooth transition of government and unsuccessful parties should play their role as an effective opposition holding the government to account. He sent best wishes to PTI, PMLN, PPP and all other parties who are involved in the elections, urging them to put the people ahead of selfish and international agendas.

Umar Mahmood said that it was important for young Pakistanis to be involved in promoting the positive image of Pakistan including British Pakistani achievements. He said that the new generation should be engaged to promote things coming out of Pakistan, such as technology, fashion, education and more.The government should use the positive measures adopted to improve economic, social and political conditions such as the visit of renowned footballer Ronaldinho or the visit of wrestlers. He offered the vote of thanks on behalf of FIRD. The seminar was attended by parliamentarians, academics, activists, bureaucrats, students, community leaders, religious scholars and media.

Toaha Qureshi MBE said that the seminar aimed to create awareness about Islamic finance, apprise of the measures and steps taken by Britain to promote Islamic finance, and to highlight the significance of Islamic finance as an alternative to the conventional financing system. He urged Lord Sheikh to promote trade with Pakistan over aid to help build the capacity of the various sectors in trade. He added that through arranging strategic dialogue and connections between the UK and scholars and academics who could provide authentic and measured education on shariah related matters, he hoped UK would become an example for other countries to follow in issuing Sukook and following Islamic finance principles. He concluded as he began his address, stating that as people sharing the same humanity, the government should not be afraid to peruse and implement elements of shariah law that can progress British society and business.

Justice Retd. Mufti Taqi Usmani gave credit to former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who held a session where Mufti Usmani spoke, for announcing that the UK will be made a hub of Islamic finance. For the first time in the history of Islamic finance, the UK has given concession to Islamic banks so that they are not required to pay double tax – the UK was the first country ever to do so, it is an encouraging step and had led to others to follow suit. He clarified the misconception that Islamic finance is not only for Muslims, rather it is a financing system based on Islamic principles for the entire world to benefit from. The basic principle of Islamic finance, according to Mufti Taqi Usmani, is that it should be based on equity rather based on debt as is the traditional banking sector. He suggested that the Islamic finance sector was growing at an extremely fast rate, about 15% more than conventional banking. Mufti Taqi Usmani also informed that his organization has a detailed plan to convert a conventional bank into an Islamic bank. Taking a religious comparison between Christianity and Islam, he said that Christians are finding the model of Islamic finance just as beneficial and for Christian leadership it makes sense as the holy bible has proscribed usury. Therefore, in the coming years, he believed that Christians, especially in countries where Islamic finance is practiced, would be taking up this form of finance as opposed to traditional systems.

He further opined that Islamic finance is aimed to distribute finance in a just and equitable manner which means money would not be concentrated in a few hands. Speaking on the financial crisis, he echoed the words of the World Economic Forum Chairman who said that they are at a tipping point and they must change or face decline. He suggested that imbuing Islamic principles within the financial sector would be the solution to the problems and provide much needed relief to the people.

Welcoming the distinguished speakers to Parliament and thanking FIRD for arranging this timely seminar, Lord Sheikh enlightened the audience on United Kingdom’s efforts to promote Islamic finance which spanned over past thirty years. In 2013, the UK hosted the 9^th Islamic Forum, which was the first time for the Forum to be held outside the Muslim world. He said that the government, Labour or Conservative, would make every effort to support such an instrumental and important initiative. Speaking on the first ever Sukook to be issued for £200m by the UK, Lord Sheikh said there was such interest in the UK that it was oversubscribed tenfold. He added that a second Sukook will be issued soon. He further added that with support and guidance from renowned scholars like Justice Retd. Mufti Taqi Usmani, London could become the economic centre for Islamic finance in the West. He urged the scholars to continue providing guidance and education on these important Islamic issues to foreign governments as many elements can be intertwined with British finance. Lord Sheikh also said that he is working with the Government to introduce shariah compliant student loans and start up loans. He concluded by saying that UK is the largest education provider of Islamic finance and that London is a magnet for investment for Islamic finance.

Qari Hanif Jalandhry commended Britain’s role and emphasized that the UK could play a leading role in Islamic finance. Informing the audience that the Council for Islamic Ideology had been working on this matter for many years, Qari Hanif Jalandhry said that through FIRD, he would like to invite Lord Sheikh and fellow parliamentarians to Pakistan to gain a better understanding on Islamic finance and share best practices in the sector. Ending with a message for unity and cohesion, he referred to Mr. Qureshi’s statement that as we are all children of Adam and Eve, we should all work together to bring about peace and London as a leader of Islamic Finance could play a huge part in this.

Afzal Khan MP, Shadow Minister for Home Office, said that the UK has become accustomed to a serious trend of disparity among classes and the people need support. He said that this inequality needs to be tackled and Islamic finance has a part to play in this because many poor people suffered during the credit crunch and financial crisis. He also said that government needs to be more open to the idea of exploring principles it is not used to.

Umar Mahmood urged the youth to particularly participate in this as they understood the new technologies coming into play and were more conversant with elements like block chain technology and the like. He said that it was important for these types of seminars to take place to counter the view that shariah had no place in British society, whereas the former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams had the understanding that there were aspects of British society that could benefit from shariah law, which would include Islamic finance.

During the Q&A session, Mufti Taqi Usmani addressed the concern that Islamic finance was being viewed upon by some as contentious given that it has been referred to as “Islamic” by saying that it can be rebranded as Ethical finance given its principles of equity. Mr Qureshi said that far right extremist groups such as the EDL and Britain First as well as the likes of UKIP were spreading misinformation on the issue by saying that the UK was becoming Islamised. Mr. Qureshi urged all parties to counter this by raising awareness with their MPs and representatives. Lloyd’s representatives talked about Lloyd’s growing interest in Islamic finance, especially in the structure of takaful (Islamic insurance) and how countries such as Pakistan were making legislative changes to better regulate this. Panelists expressed their doubts about the application of Islamic finance to the concept of crypto-currency due to the speculative nature of digital currency which could lead to a crisis. More research around the complexities surrounding its creation and value. Lord Sheikh said that it was too early and too speculative to get involved in right now, but once it is based on solid assets the government will perhaps look into it. Mr Qureshi said that other governments, such as Qatar and China, had warned against crypto currency or had taken steps to ban it, therefore some further research and consideration is required.

Dr Ahmad Al-Dubayan, DG Islamic Cultural Centre, said that protection of mankind is the basic principle behind Islamic finance and money is one of the issues where people need protection the most, evidenced clearly by the problems plaguing people like debt, betting, loans etc. Dr. Simon Best, Programme Leader MSc Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship Middlesex University, said that it was a great opportunity to learn about Islamicfinance, how it links in with ethical financing and its application to social enterprise in particular.

Umar Mahmood offered the vote of thanks on behalf of FIRD. The seminar was attended by parliamentarians, civil servants, academics, senior bankers, bureaucrats, students, community leaders, religious scholars and media.

The Beyond Boundaries PAJC memebrs were welcome by the Director of Kardan research Centre. More than fifty students, male and female, and some university faculty members attended the session.

Speaking first from the Afghan side, Muzammil Shinwari set the scene with briefing the audience on the project, the partnership of CRSS and OESP through Beyond Boundaries III track 1.5/II dialogue, its need and outcomes.

Rana Afzal Khan, speaking from the Pakistan side, expressed his gratitude that the Afghan people, the institutions like Kardan University and the government officials have welcomed the delegation with such warmth. He also explained that the peace and stability in Afghanistan is as important as it is for Pakistan, and it can only come through sincere efforts by both countries. We are brothers and can resolve our differences by sitting around the table. We must accept where there is a problem and have the will to find a lasting solution. Afghanistan is a sovereign country and we do not wish to interfere in its matters in any shape or form.

Toaha Qureshi MBE reminded the academics and the students that they were an asset and future for the region and not only for Afghanistan, therefore, they needed to get themselves released from the historical/past baggage  and support such initiatives for dialogue. As a British observer, Mr. Qureshi asked the audience to remember the magnitude of hostility and animosity between France, Germany, Britain, etc. was in such stage that they ended up having two world wars and lost millions of people. In spite of all that these countries have managed to form a European Union, EU market, Euro as currency and NATO – the myopic view of hatred and hostility was set aside for the greater good of future generations. This unity has brought about the establishment of internationally recognised human rights, peace, strong political systems and economic stability in the region. He said that we need to learn lessons from the European experience of war and peace. Pakistan must not see Afghanistan through Indian prism and must continue to root out all sorts of violence and terrorism, particularly on the Northern borders. The same rule applies to Afghanistan with regards to anti-Pakistan terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan. For the desired outcomes such as long lasting peace and security, both countries must have five kinds of dialogue, 1) P2P= People to People, 2) G2G= Government to Government (politicians), 3) A2A= Army to Army, 4) M2M = Media to Media, and 5) B2B= Business to Business.

Ms. Seema Baloch, former Ambassador, put very useful question to the students rather than giving a speech. It transpired that many of the people either were born in Pakistan had studied in Pakistan or their parents had lived in Pakistan as refugees. Elay Arshad, Member of Afghan Parliament, said that terrorism is an issue that both countries face and have to deal with. She said such dialogues and interaction with youth is very important as it creates opportunities for people-to-people contact and improves awareness and perceptions on Pak-Afghan relations.

The members’ speeches were followed by an inter-active question & answer session with the students.  The students were very much open with regards to anti-Pakistan sentiments as they allegedly believed that groups such as Haqqani network are being supported by Pakistan to destabilise Afghanistan. Their questions were answered in a very constructive manner, and the air was cleared by all the delegates.

A university survey was also administered with the participating students and faculty members – post the lectures by PAJC members – to gauge the improvement in their perceptions on the other side; understanding of the challenges of Pak-Afghan relations, and awareness about the socio-political conditions in both countries.

Adapted from CRSS – crss.pk

The meeting, lasting over 90 minutes, consisted of frank, robust and candid discussions. The Pakistani delegates of the track 1.5/II project Beyond Boundaries were grateful to Dr. Abdullah for his continuous support to the initiative and providing opportunities to meet with them frequently as this was the fourth meeting of Beyond Boundaries delegations with the CEO since October 2015 when the project started; earlier meetings were held on 03 December, 2015; 22 December, 2015; and 16 November, 2016.

Pakistan delegation recalled with grief that 16 December marks the third year of the tragic attack at the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar by terrorists killing hundreds of young innocent children. Everyone present at the meeting commemorated the sad occasion by observing a one-minute silence and offered prayers for the young children martyred and their aggrieved families.

Dr. Abdullah welcomed the Beyond Boundaries delegates by saying: “I warmly welcome the CRSS and OESP and the distinguished Pakistani group comprising parliamentarians, civil society members and senior media persons. This is a very diverse group, we need to strengthen it, improve it and take it further to more people-to-people level. I do support your track II system and will continue to do so. Sometimes gravity of politics affects people-to-people contacts, but efforts like yours should continue. You have come here at a time, when we are in general looking at better relations. After your Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa’s visit in October, we received excellent proposals from the Pakistan side. We have mutually started a process of working groups including trade and economics. We look forward to working together with Pakistan and improving bilateral relationship. Let me request you to share your views in a very frank and candid manner, and I will respond to your questions as candidly”.

Head of Pakistani delegation, MNA Rana Afzal Khan spoke first from the Pakistan side, saying: “Thank you for welcoming us, we are very pleased to meet you, we have a number of parliamentarians with us as well as retired military and civil senior officers and senior media persons. We have had very useful and detailed discussion among the two groups with the emphasis on trade and commerce among other important issues. We have come up with a joint declaration of policy recommendations, which we will share with you”. As the Finance parliamentary secretary, I can assure you that on the trade side we are very seriously working on the resumption of the Afghan Pakistan Transit Trade Coordination Authority (APTTCA) meeting. As you mentioned we have made good progress after the COAS visit, as five working groups are jointly working now. We have 3000 scholarships for Afghan students, especially including 100 for women. One of Pakistan’s most prestigious institute LUMS has also announced 100 scholarships as well. On the visa regime issue, we were informed by our embassy here that 1600 visas are issued to Afghans daily from Kabul and another 1600 from other consulates. There are still some issues due to which Afghans face hardships, we are trying our best to improve upon these procedural issues.

Mr. Toaha Qureshi, MBE said that he being the neutral international expert coming to this dialogue as Chair would encourage both sides to continue the dialogue, keep on meeting, discussing all contentious and non-contentious issues. Issues can only be resolved through dialogue. He also briefed Dr. Abdullah on a 10-point resolution passed at the Forum for International Relations Development during an emergency meeting following the Peshawar incident. The resolution, aimed at ridding terrorism, consisted of:

1. Offer unequivocal support for the initiatives undertaken by the Government and the Army in Pakistan to combat terrorism and extremism;
2. Support a resolute security crackdown against outside forces operating in the country;
3. Stress the immediate initiation of counter-extremism, de-radicalisation and rehabilitation programmes in the country based on lessons learned from other countries, especially the UK;
4. Urge the Government of Pakistan to pursue an effective national security and counter terrorism policy that recognises the nature and gravity of the problem;
5. Urge the Government of Pakistan to implement the Protection of Pakistan Ordinance (PPO) without jeopardising fundamental human rights;
6. Urge the Government of Pakistan to practice a zero tolerance policy against all those forces who promote hatred and intolerance in the country;
7. Urge the Government of Pakistan to disallow any individual or a group from preaching and practicing violence in the name of religion, sect or ethnicity;
8. Urge the Government of Pakistan not to let any proscribed organisation to register again under a new name;
9. Express unwavering commitment to the Rule of Law and democratic process Pakistan; and
10. Offer consistent input to the Government of Pakistan on how to tackle terrorism and extremism by holding quarterly seminars at FIRD

Mr. Qureshi concluded that similar efforts should be made by the government of Afghanistan and help from the group is extended to support any efforts.

MNA Ms. Shazia Marri said that deficit of trust exists between our two countries. We need to work on this deficit of trust and work together and jointly to improve our bilateral relationship. Being a women parliamentarian, I would like to say that there is a need for the women of both countries to work together closely – women parliamentarians, women journalists, women civil society members and leaders – we need your help to introduce such initiatives.

Former ambassador Ms. Seema baloch remarked that security and political issues should not hamper trade relations, we should move forward to improve bilateral and transit trade; which in turn will improve bilateral relations.

Senator Murtaza Wahab while also thanking the CEO said that we should build on commonalities. We need to focus on common grounds particularly trade, education, civil society etc.

Senior journalist Kashif Abbasi told Dr. Abdullah that he had started his journalism career as an international affairs reporter, and one of his earliest memories is meeting him in 2002. He further said that Pak- Afghan relations have soured over time: “I would agree with Murtaza that we need to focus on common grounds; may be small steps, small measures. We as media practitioners can also play a role in creating this kind of mechanism”.

Senior journalist Zahid Hussain gave reference to recently visited university and interaction with youth, where misperceptions resulted in hostile questions. He said that we need to build and start working on removing misperceptions and address the distrust.

Lt. Gen. (retd) Asif Yasin while appreciating the articulate and impressive past of the CEO remarked: “you are a mover & shaker, go-getter. We have lots of hopes from your office to get things moving. We would expect your indulgence in our policy recommendations, and generally in improving relations with Pakistan. You should indulge at the highest level”.

Former Ambassador Qazi Humayyun paid compliments to the CEO and said you are the most experienced person to be dealing with us – with your previous assignments and positions – you are best placed to move Pak-Afghan relations forward. I would like to request you that your much anticipated visit to Pakistan is still awaited. We would once again like to request you to visit Pakistan. On a lighter note you need to find a balance between your visits to India and Pakistan.

Senator Shibli Faraz said that we are fighting against common threat which is terrorism. Unfortunately we have been involved in a war which was never ours; we were forced by other countries to engage in this war. The most important causality has been the economic development, we need to address this, and for the benefit of the people of both countries it is imperative that we concentrate on economic development. We need to concentrate on education as well for the betterment of youth of both countries. We need to engage in common way forward. Your peace is our peace; your destiny is our destiny. We need to move forward and improve relations.

Dr. Shoaib Suddle, former IG Police and federal tax Ombudsman, who has been part of Beyond Boundaries since the track II initiative started, gave reference to the last meeting with the CEO and said: “in our last meeting with you November last year you gave us a breaking news that you will be visiting Pakistan; we are still awaiting to welcome you in Pakistan”. He noted that we have had a bad 2016, while 2017 was better; we expect and hope 2018 to be even better in moving forward towards betterment of relationship. He said that the APTTCA meeting has not taken place so far, and the delay has been on the Afghan side, we would like to request you to convene this APTTCA, so that the mechanism on transit trade can be reviewed and move forward. We would also like to request both governments to ease visa regime on both sides for the benefit of people of the two neighboring countries. He told the CEO that it has been brought to the knowledge of the group by Pakistan embassy that last time the promise made by the CEO to “waive off duties and tariffs” on the import of medical equipment for Pakistan development project Jinnah Hospital, is again faced with some delays on minor procedural invoices issue, we would be grateful if you can look into this and resolve it. He also shared that the issue of medical staff that is trained at the Jinnah Hospital and then they are transferred elsewhere after completion of their training, if this can be looked at and resolved, as this stops the process and the training of staff has to be started afresh.

Ms. Faiza, Secretary General PAJJCI apprised the CEO that the missing link is between the official and private sectors of both countries. PAJCCI works together, as the Afghan PAJJCI President is ambassador for Pakistan, and the Pakistan Chairman is an ambassador for Afghanistan. Media in Afghanistan needs to focus on connectivity. Afghan media is generally negative towards Pakistan. Such meetings like ours with you today should be highlighted in media and disseminated to public.

Dr. Abdullah thanked the Pakistani delegation for sharing their frank and candid points of view. He told the delegation that the 16 December APS terrorist attack was a tragic day for us as well, because we can feel the pain of the aggrieved families. It makes it incumbent upon us to work together for Counter Terrorism. Security is a common concern for all of us. While, we are having opportunities to connect, we also need to tackle terrorism jointly.

On the reference to the waiver of duties and tariffs on import of medical equipment, he remarked: “I thought it was resolved. It looks silly even if there are no invoices the equipment should still come”. I would look into it again and promise to resolve it. He instructed his Advisor Mozammil Shinwari to work with Pak embassy and the relevant ministries and authorities for earliest resolution.

He asked Advisor Shinwari to brief him on APTTCA status. Mr. Shinwari told the CEO after last meeting of APTTCA was held in Pakistan, it is now Afghanistan’s turn to hold the meeting, and unfortunately it is almost a year and half that it has not taken place. He further briefed that the Pakistan side has sent its proposal for more than a year now, but nothing has moved from our side. The CEO then remarked again: “I assure you we will work it out and resolve it ASAP”.

Dr. Abdullah replying to MNA Shazia Marri’s remarks, said: “I agree with women forums such as women parliamentarians’ cooperation and also in other fields”. He added that that visas should not be a problem: “The kind of good work that you are doing as a group and as track II project; we need to remove those”. He agreed that economic development and cooperation is very important: “trade issues altogether need to be addressed at top priority”, he said. He further stated: “I agree with you we don’t need to stop at security alone, we need to move on other issues such as trade, and education. We are grateful to Pakistan government for the scholarships, even to LUMS for their scholarships. Education of our youth is very important to us”.

In his concluding remarks he said that the main thing here is that the security issue vis-à-vis the Taliban is not an issue of mechanism. But, there is an impression that dealing with the Taliban, the political will to deal with this issue is not there. “I thank you all for your efforts, we will start a mechanism of follow-up here. And I promise you that the long standing issue of my visit to Pakistan will also be resolved”.

Senator Shibli faraz, who is also the Chairman Senate Standing Committee of Commerce, presented and shared the joint declaration of policy proposals with the Afghan CEO. After the meeting Dr. Abdullah Abdullah hosted both Pakistani and Afghan delegations for a working lunch.

Adapted from CRSS – crss.pk

Being led by Mr. Rana Afzal Khan, Member of National Assembly – PML-N, and Parliamentary Secretary Finance, and chaired by FIRD Chairman Mr. Toaha Qureshi, MBE as an international neutral expert from the UK, the Pakistani origin delegation included: Ms. Shazia Marri, Member of National Assembly- PPP; Mr. Shibli Faraz, Senator- PTI, and Chairman Senate Standing Committee of Commerce; Mr. Murtaza Wahab, Senator- PPP; Dr. Shoaib Suddle, Former IG Police and Federal Tax Ombudsman; Lt. Gen. (R) Asif Yasin Malik, former Secretary Defense; Mr. Qazi Humayyun, former Ambassador; Mr. Mian Sanaullah, former Ambassador; Ms. Seema Ilahi Baloch, former Ambassador; Mr. Tahir Khan, senior journalist and Editor NNI, Mr. Rehman Azhar, senior journalist Express TV, and host of primetime TV talk show “Center Stage with Rehman Azhar”; Mr. Kashif Abbasi, senior journalist ARY News, and anchor of primetime TV Talk show “Off The Record”; Mr. Zahid Hussain, senior journalist and author of “Frontline Pakistan” and “The Struggle with Militant Islam”; Mr. Sarfraz Raja, senior journalist GEO News and senior correspondent International Affairs; Ms. Faiza, Secretary General Pakistan Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce & Industry (PAJCCI); Mr. Imtiaz Gul, Executive Director, CRSS; Mr. Aized Ali, Project Director Beyond Boundaries, CRSS.

The group’s counterpart, a high level 16-member Afghan PAJC delegation, was headed by Mr. Abdul Qader Zazai, Member and Secretary of Parliament. Other members of the group included: Mr. Mirwais Yasini, Member of Parliament and former Deputy Speaker; Mr. Khalid Pashtoon, Member of Parliament; Ms. Rangina Kargar, Member of Parliament; Ms. Elay Ershad, Member of Parliament; Mr. Salim Khan Kunduzi, Former Governor Nangarhar and former Deputy Minister of Agriculture; Mr. Asif Nang, former Governor Farah; Mr. Danish Karrokhil, senior journalist and Head of Pajhwok News; Ms. Najiba Ayoubi, senior journalist and Head of Kileed Group; Mr. M. Rafi Sidiqi, senior journalist and Head of Khurshid TV; Mr. Haji Younes Momand, Vice President Afghan Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ACCI); Mr. Abdul Qadeer Bahman, Head of International Chamber of Commerce (ICC); Mr. Naqibullah Safi, Secretary General PAJCCI; Ms. Meena Wardak, Director Trade and Investment ICC; Mr. Mozammil Shinwari, Advisor to CEO on Trade and Economics; and Ms. Asila Wardak, Diplomat having served for Afghanistan at UN and MoFA.

The Pakistan PAJC group held a meeting and briefing with the serving Ambassador of Pakistan, Mr. Zahid Nasrullah Khan, at the Embassy of Pakistan (Kabul) on December 14. The briefing was followed by a working dinner hosted by the Ambassador for both Pakistan and Afghan PAJC groups.

Both the PAJC groups held a one day workshop in Kabul on 15 November, at Serena Hotel. During the one day workshop, the PAJC held detailed discussion on the core issues affecting the Pak-Afghan bilateral relations and outlined ways and means to work together as civil society groups disassociating themselves from the official positions of the two governments. The group also worked to break through the political deadlock between the two neighboring countries, but at the same time acting as a track II mechanism to lobby and influence the two powerful governments for improvement in the bilateral relations.

The dialogue commenced with the opening session where the two groups reviewed the policy recommendations of the previous 6 meetings of Beyond Boundaries II; and held a detailed recap and review of political and other significant developments in Pak-Afghan relations- both negatives and positives- between now and last PAJC meeting held end of March, 2017; How to work jointly and build on the positives; and discussion on Peace and Reconciliation Strategy.

The first session had interactive discussion on the repercussions of frequent Pak-Afghan Border Closures, re-openings, losses to businesses and traders, and the Way Forward; PAJCCI perspective and Inputs by Ms. Faiza and Mr. Naqibullah Safi; Early revival and rescheduling of JEC, APTCA meetings and APTTA review; and discussion on Bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA).

During the second session they held Interactive discussion on other important bilateral issues: Refugees – Latest on ground realities; Media – Role of Pakistan and Afghanistan Media in Bilateral Relations and addressing misperceptions through dissemination of positives instead of focusing on negatives only.

The third session included Way Forward from the deliberations and debate around the focused themes of the workshop; and formulation of policy recommendations (where 2 -4 members each from Pakistan and Afghanistan side drafted the recommendations suggested earlier). In the Last session, the Chair read out the policy recommendations and after deliberations both the PAJC groups approved and adopted the policy recommendations as Joint Declaration from the first meeting.

he Joint Declaration welcomed the recent proposals shared between Pakistan and Afghanistan, especially the start of the process of various working groups to address issues affecting their bilateral relations.  The PAJC strongly called upon on both the governments to convene meeting of the Afghan-Pakistan Transit Trade Coordinating Authority (APTTCA) as soon as possible to address pending transit trade issues.

The recommendations called for immediate resumption of the bilateral trade talks, including recently imposed regulatory taxes on Afghan exports to Pakistan.  The PAJC urged Pakistan to expedite and facilitate implementation of the scholarship programmes for Afghan students.

The recommendations requested the Afghan government to facilitate completion of Pakistan-funded projects in Afghanistan and provide all necessary support, including timely tax waivers by the Afghan government for equipment being imported for these projects. The recommendations pushed both the governments to revisit the visa regime and facilitate and improve visa-related issues from application submission to the issuance of the visa itself. Both countries should also introduce special visa regime for businessmen, parliamentarians, media representatives, patients and attendants, the participants stressed.

In order to improve bilateral relations, it was recommended that youth exchange programmes be organised. Journalists’ short exchange programmes must also be organised for better understanding of each other’s perspective, the declaration said.

Cultural programmes may also be organised to facilitate participation of prominent singers.
It was announced in the meeting that the Forum for International Relations Development, a UK-based conflict resolution think tank, will offer scholarships for tuition fees only to five Pakistani and five Afghan students for undergraduate and post graduate British qualifications through School of Economics and Law (SOEL), UK.

The CRSS and OESP will recommend and lead the process, while the final selection will be done by SOEL, UK. The applicants in both countries must meet the UK visa and immigration requirements.

As part of strategic sideline meetings with the Government of Afghanistan, on Saturday 16 December morning, The Pakistan PAJC held a meeting with Mr. Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, the Speaker of Wolesi Jirga – the lower house of Afghan parliament. The Pakistani delegation stressed the need for strengthened ties between Kabul and Islamabad. The Afghan PAJC members were also present during the meeting. Rana Afzal Khan, the head of Pakistan delegation handed over the Joint Declaration of Policy Recommendations to the Speaker.After the meeting the PAJC members visited live proceedings of the Wolesi Jirga session.

Later that day, the Pak and Afghan PAJC members held a meeting the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Afghanistan, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, at his office at 12:30 pm. Dr. Abdullah told the participants that true fight against terrorism can pave the way for trust building between the two countries. He said Afghanistan always underscored the need for improved relations among the neighboring countries, which should be based on mutual respect, good neighborhood and sincere cooperation. The PAJC heads of delegations handed over and shared the Joint Declaration of Policy recommendations to the CEO. After the meeting the CEO hosted a working lunch for the two PAJC delegates.

Same day selected members from Pakistan and Afghan PAJC groups visited Karwan University and Kardan University, for interaction with youth and academia through lectures/ presentations by members from both the delegations; these university visits are part of the outreach to the youth of Afghanistan designed for the initiative to counter misperceptions about each other and improve their understanding on the Pak-Afghan bilateral relations.

As part of the strategic communication through media dissemination, 2 or 3 members of Pakistan and Afghan PAJC participated at TV primetime talk shows at Tolo TV, and Shamshad TV. Besides Afghan TV shows, GEO News and DW covered the dialogue and visit proceedings.

Adapted from CRSS – crss.pk

Beginning the session, Dave Anderson MP invited Toaha Qureshi MBE to address the audience. He stated that the invasion of Iraq had taken place and there was no changing history – but it was important to accept and understand that the basis for the war was a sexed up dossier. It was a good step that the Deputy British Prime Minister Nick Clegg MP accepted that the war in Iraq was illegal. However, the consequences of the war were very problematic for people both in Iraq and across the globe. He said that the western powers, US and UK, had lost their moral standing after this blunder. People have been caught up in this political mess, in particular Christians, who have now been forcibly removed from a country where they had been for 1600 years due to the terrorist menace Daesh. He suggested various solutions to Iraq, including increasing British aid to Iraq,  international allies supporting the country on countering terrorism/extremism and strategising infrastructural development.

Nazar Mirjan stressed that the democracy in Iraq was still young and needed time to mature and develop. Having seen democracy in other countries such as Korea, there were still problems despite having over a century and a half to develop. Despite there being problems, he said that it was good that elections had been taking place. Awareness of elections amongst the public was needed and they have to gain an understanding of who to vote for. He welcomed suggestions by Mr Qureshi, saying that international support to defeat terrorism was essential to ensure security. His position was clear; rather than trying to score political points, all parties should come together to support democracy.

Ann Clwyd MP said that hundreds of thousands of people had been displaced by the war and its consequent events. It was unfortunate that the UK had been selling arms to Saddam Hussein in the past. With the current situation of Iraq being the way it is, she hoped to visit once again. She urged the Iraqi government and people to ask the British MP’s what they needed, so that they could question the government and bring it to their notice.

Ian Lavery MP spoke from the working class point of view, claiming that they have poor representation in the political process. They need respect and protection as well as integrity. The ordinary people are in need of a voice which the government must echo. Speaking of the beginning of the labour party, he urged the Iraqi people to help wherever they can because it was ordinary people that created the party 150 years ago.

Saundra Satterlee made bold claims stating that ISIS had been incubated through the US imprisonment of Iraqis. Despite vilification by the West, she spoke of the good work carried out by Saddam Hussein, seen first hand during her visit to Iraq. The sanctions placed on Iraq prevented the rebuilding of the country in terms of transport, construction, clean water etc. She said that she walked around in Iraq freely, witnessing gender equality and being free of fear.

Hashim Alhashmi gave an insight into the feelings of the people of Iraq when the invasion first started. He said that people watched in fear and hope during the war. Fear because they mistrusted foreign powers, viewed as invaders, and hope because of democratic change. Unfortunately, their hopes were dashed and their fears proven – the war of 2003 was a lost opportunity. He said that proxy wars were being waged by exploiting ethnicity and religion, creating sectarian divisions. He ended by saying that a government needs to be created without considering sectarian alliances and separation of powers was imperative for accountability.