Social Policy and Development Centre (SPDC) is undertaking a series of informed and interactive dialogues, on various topics covering a range of the drivers of violent extremism (VE) in Pakistan. The aim of the project is to increase understanding of violent extremism related issues among government representatives and different stakeholders, besides increasing the capacity of civil society to organize and advocate for countering violent extremism (CVE).
One strategy for doing so is bridging the gap between practitioners who grapple with its ubiquitous manifestations, and analysts who theorize societal trends without necessarily interacting with those engaged in VE. Such interactions provide the otherwise infrequent opportunity for civil society stakeholders to network and develop linkages, which necessarily precede developing a shared understanding and consensus on related issues.
The project involves holding four interactive dialogues and develop position papers on the following topics:
Each of the four dialogues will lead to a follow-up meeting with relevant stakeholders and dissemination of key findings by publishing position papers on all four identified topics. The project culminates with the convening of a provincial level conference where policy recommendations for CVE will be presented.
The first dialogue on “Nexus between Intolerance and Violent Extremism” was held in Karachi on October 12, 2019. The position paper is a summation of the perspectives of a small number of educators and educationist associations, youth organizations and youth representatives, government officials of relevant ministries, key media persons, and NGOs and CBOs working with youth, culture, minorities and progressive politics.