Pakistan International Peace & Human Rights Organization
Nindo Shaher District Badin Sindh Pakistan

My name is Riaz Ahmed. I am from Pakistan(District Badin). I am 21 now, Since I was 16, I started to get worried about the situation of Kashmir (Disputed Terrority between Pakistan & India), and I decided with my classmates to start to work to make things better. "What needs to be done?" we thought, and we figured out that we had to let young people know what was going on.

In order to achieve our goal, We joined some NGO'S which were working at that time for Peace. Which were mad up of people from different schools of thoughts that want to normalize relation between the two countries on the disputed area, so that people of both countries live in peace & tranquility.

According to this we have organized many conferences and forums with people who study our conflict. For example we have had political scientists, people from the military forces and from the government, social leaders, indigenous, economists, lawyers, young social leaders, human rights defenders, NGO's, etc. Also we have participated in a lot of initiatives in which we gather with people from all the country to work for the peace.

Because I think it is important that young people have the opportunity to say what they think, I participated in many conferences in relted to disputed area of Kashmir. I also learn the importance of the information that is given to the people through tsese programms, and they helped me to get a different vision of what is presented to us by the media.

I do what I do because I am convinced that one has to start participating and not letting the democratic spaces die in the hands of few people. It is not enough just to criticize for the availability of peace and the government. What we have to do is start working in our nucleus to create a new conscience of political and social participation, especially for people of both countries. And we have to help, in a way, the kashmir dispute come to an agreement that takes into account the necessities of the both countries. This is important because this is one of the most main reasons why the war started in the first place.

I also believe that it is important to gather with other people because it is there - in team work - where we can really learn to be different, to respect what other people think and to start creating a new way to see our own country. I think this is important because it is the Pakistani/India people who have the responsibility and the opportunity to solve their country's problems. In this way we can make sure that both countries develops and progresses not just economically but socially.