Conflict is a ‘mushroom growth’ and so is xenophobia and they are not just mindsets, rather they are things which impact global and regional balance as well as inter-state relationships. The fact is that xenophobia, conflicts and some odd narratives still rule the world in many parts and are considered to be main causes of strife. Likewise, there is another irritant coming in the way of global peace and that is the state of denial. There are countries and peoples who are equally muddying the waters by constantly remaining in a state of denial which can be rightly described as a state of self-deception that ultimately turns into a big mirage. This self-deception might suit the interests and expedient needs of some countries’ leadership but in practice it has markedly failed in reducing the conflicts in some of the active arenas of the globe like Pakistan-Afghanistan region. Yes, arena. It is not totally wrong to call it an arena, given the long history of warlord-ism and the concomitant infighting that is unique in its own way because of the nerve-breaking length of this infighting that is rooted in rigid attitudes, battles of egos and dominance and misinterpretations of faith with motivation coming from theories of self-glorification that finds no reference in any system of beliefs except the erroneous philosophy of Mulla Umar and his ilk. The situation, because of these underlying factors, still remains tense and it can’t be said with authenticity that peace is on its way to Afghanistan and the surrounding region but for the sincere endeavour undertaken jointly by Pak-Afghan intellectuals, civil society and media. This ray of hope has emerged recently in the form of Pakistan-Afghanistan Track 1.5/II exercise ‘Beyond Boundaries’ (BB) spearheaded jointly by Pakistan’s Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSC) and its Afghan counterpart DURAN Raw and Analysis that appears to have identified the root causes. Both have endeavoured to find ways and means to bring lasting peace in an unconventional way, leaving behind emotionalism, self-deceptions and dreams of self-perpetuation at the cost of each other. This forum has formulated workable policy recommendations after having found out that things won’t work if we continue sticking to the state of denial as has been done for the last four, five decades. This is advisable for both Pakistan and Afghanistan that need to adopt a comparatively more realistic approach even though some realities may appear somewhat bitter and unacceptable at the first instance. The best thing introduced in this exercise is reliance on Civil Society groups. This means that unlike many other think tanks that pay only lip-service to civil society, CRSC and DURAN have understood the significance of the effective contributions of civil society in the in-depth identification of irritants in Pak-Afghan peace and in the formulation of pragmatic policy recommendations and practicable solutions. The aforementioned joint Afghan-Pak endeavour that is being pursued in close coordination with the governments of both the countries, especially the RCSG (Regional Civil Society Group), seeks to find out points of convergence with the firm belief that there are still lot many points of convergence between the peoples and the establishments/governments of the two countries that can be relied upon to build up an edifice of mutual trust from where to launch lasting and solid peace overtures. Till recent past (barring Murree talks and the recent most Track 1.5/II), the peace overtures could not take off in the real sense because serious efforts were always accompanied with fears and mistrust that would have been addressed by now after realisation dawned on both the nations that there is no way of salvation left for them other than chalking out a practicable roadmap of peaceful co-existence free of misled propaganda of forces whose nose-poking is unjustified whatever their claims of sincerity. Now is the time to go for being more considerate for Afghan concerns, some of which are legitimate, some otherwise. In fact, both sides need to meet half-way to take the relationship forward and greater responsibility lies on the shoulders of Pakistan’s Punjabi leadership that ought to have yet greater insight and understanding about the Afghan concerns. The initiative, BB, aims at bringing together influential government and non-governmental stakeholders who can help reduce tensions, address misconceptions, and revive some level of confidence. The ultimate objective is to eventually urge both governments and key stakeholders to shun mutual vitriol and antagonism, and towards a more trusting and collaborative approach that enhances peace, security, and regional cooperation. The key objectives of the initiative are: expanding the peace constituency through friendship groups in both countries; improving support for better Afghanistan-Pakistan relationship through enhanced dialogue among the influential stakeholders of both sides; encouraging dialogue at various levels through official and unofficial communication channels; and informing policy makers through forums, policy documents and media. Another step that can be termed an achievement in the realm of pragmatic peace initiatives has been thorough discussion on Pakistan and Afghanistan Narratives, Role of Civil Society and Media; Education as a connector in the peace and trust building process; Economic Integration and Development and Afghan refugees. This realisation that narratives do matter and that both the civil society’s and media’s awakening can act as strong instruments of change, deserves to be appreciated as much as is the desire to assign education an unconventional role of connector in peace. In the RCSG meetings, the civil society on both sides has unanimously condemned all acts of terrorism on either side of the border and resolved to transform the prevailing negative narrative by increasing people to people and civil society exchanges and confidence-building measures. And nothing like recognising the ground realities that pave the way for realistic, practicable solutions. In this context, Imtiaz Gul, Executive Director CRSS, says: “Recognising ground realities governing relations between the two countries can help the peace talks”.
