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Pwshawar(Manend News) PAIMAN Trust organized a Provincial Convention on “Women Building Peaceful Communities”in
Peshawar. The aim of the convention
Mossarat Qadeem, Executive Director PAIMAN Trust in her welcome address highlighted that the aim of
the convention is to discuss the importance of women’s role in building social cohesion in Pakistan, the
opportunities and challenges and to share best practices regarding women’s role in Peacebuilding in the
country. She elucidated that PAIMAN localized Women Peace and Security agenda in the context of our
culture and religion and State’s priorities and we expect that it will make its footprint on policymaking in
Pakistan as well since it is now an essential pillar in global affairs. She further shared that PAIMAN
Trust under it ‘Lets Live in Peace’ initiative have been empowering women socio-economically to play
leading role in building social cohesion in their communities since 2007 through Women TOLANA, a
community peace group. This flagship intervention has contributed to the development of hundreds and
thousands of women leaders at various levels who have established their agency as effective peacemakers
by introducing concepts of tolerance, interfaith/intra-faith harmony and pluralism bringing communities
together.
A former female MPA shared that after attending PAIMAN’s session, only then she realized the
importance of women role in peacebuilding. As policy makers then she engaged other male female policy
makers in the discussion and came to the conclusion that women need to have a say in matters of peace
and security and play a formal role in decision making so that their potential is fully recognized.
Miss Zara, a social entrepreneur and Peacebuilder threw light on her experience of sensitizing women in
her community about their role as mediators and peacebuilders, after she underwent PAIMAN’s training.
She gave examples of how she brought women of different sect, ethnicity and socio-economic
background together, mediated feuds within some women groups and now they enjoy a friendly
relationship.
Bushra Hyder, an expert on peace education and a Peacebuilder explained that as mothers and
teachers, women play a predominant role in raising and instilling values in younger generations.
Because of their role both within the family and civil society, they are strategically placed to
serve as a voice of reason, bridge the social divides that contribute to violence and build social
cohesion. They are also more often attuned to the needs of their communities and have a large
stake in promoting peace for their personal and family’s wellbeing.
Miss Shaheen, a peace poet and writer shared that women are custodians of culture and nurturers of
families and in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa they have played an important role in bringing communities
together but today although women are contributing to peace and protection of their communities but they
are not given due recognition. We need concrete structures to ensure real participation of women at
appropriate levels so that their contribution to the stability of their communities is recognized and
appreciated.
Former VC said that I believe the hour is coming, in fact has come, when the agency of women is being
acknowledged in its fullness, the hour in which women acquire in our society an influence, an effect and a
power never achieved before. In her capacity as a teacher, policy maker, doctor, activist, scholar,
religious leader, entrepreneur, labour etc, she is contributing to building peace and social cohesion that
definitely leads to the development of Pakistan
