Political debate was held in the main conference Room of the Political Science Department, the University of Chitral on 12th March 2019. The students of all semesters and faculty members participated in it. Three students presented their views on the current Pakistan-India situation in the post-Pulwama scenario. The first speaker Mr. Shamun Pasha of BS 3rd semester narrated the nature of Pak-India relations from a historical perspective highlighting the Kashmir issue at the core of Pakistan-India conflict. He stressed on friendly relations between the two nuclear neighbors. He labeled the Indian media as a warmonger. He concluded that the youth of Pakistan wants peace in the region.
The second speaker Mr. Arif of M.A 1st Semester talked about Indian response and termed it most belligerent. He compared the role of media and leadership in both countries during the crisis and termed the Indian media and leadership role as irresponsible like playing with the fire without thinking over its catastrophic consequences. He argued Pakistan’s Prime Minister policy of releasing the captured pilot as a timely step in defusing the tension.
The third speaker Mr. Maikal of M.A 1st semester focused on post-Pulwama escalation and wished to continue with peace efforts rather beating war drums. He opined that the poor people of this region want peace and harmony, not war.
After the presentation, question and answer session was held and students asked a question regarding the government crackdown on band religious organization, the Indian hawkish policy and the role of the international community.
At the end lecturer of Political Science department, Mr. Suhrab Ahmad appreciated the students’ efforts and full participation in academic discussion. He guided them for future programs. He also announced to setup a Political Debating Society in the department.
In the end, the HoD Political Science Assistant Professor Mr. Basharat Hussain in his concluding remarks explained Indian current political situation where Modi’s popularity is declining and his BJP party has lost some of the crucial assembly elections. The Modi policy of Sab ka sath sab ka wikas (development for all) has miserably failed as the Indian minorities especially the Muslim are the most targeted and marginalized group in India. Modi wants to divert the attention from his domestic failures and want to create a crisis situation for his vested political interest to avoid defeat in the next election. This type of politics is dangerous for south Asia region where the two neighbours possess nuclear weapons.
In the end, the HoD highly appreciated the students’ active participation and deliberating the hot topic openly. He advised them to continue such scholarly discussion in the future.