JAMMU: To mark the 208th birth anniversary of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the J&K Alig Society, in collaboration with the Pir Panjal Foundation for Peace and Communal Harmony, organized a one-day peace conference on the theme “Building Bridges, Not Walls: Pathways to Peace and Communal Harmony” at the Cultural Hall of the J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, Jammu.
The event brought together a wide range of participants, including academicians, administrators, writers, advocates, journalists, scholars, police officers, and social activists, who deliberated on the need to strengthen inter-community understanding and coexistence.
Speakers at the conference emphasized that bridges unite while walls divide, urging citizens to foster empathy, cooperation, and dialogue in everyday life. They observed that prolonged conflict and social divisions had created invisible barriers among communities, which now needed to be dismantled through mutual trust, inclusive engagement, and shared development.
The participants recommended organizing interfaith seminars, cultural festivals, student exchange programmes, and community outreach initiatives to promote understanding across social and religious lines. They also called for the introduction of peace education and moral values in school curricula and encouraged journalists to highlight stories that promote unity and compassion.
Speakers further noted that peace can only flourish in an environment of equality and opportunity. They stressed the importance of inclusive growth, youth participation in sports and the arts, and community-led initiatives to build social cohesion. “Let us choose bridges — for peace, for progress, for humanity,” the conference concluded.
The event was presided over by former Cabinet Minister Abdul Ghani, with Abdul Qayoom Manhas (Retd. IGP), Dr. Haseeb Mughal, and Sohail Kazmi (Senior Journalist and Social Activist) as Guests of Honour.
Distinguished speakers included Sheikh Rafiq (Retd. DC), Khurshid Bhat (Doda), Adv. Shahista Hakeem (Former AAG), Prof. Shamim Bandey, Ishtiaq Ahmed Bhati (Former Sr. Prosecuting Officer), Zulifqar Naqvi (Former Principal), Arif Malik (Retd. CEO Darhal), and Tanvir Ahmed Malik (Retd. ADDC).
Prof. Mussafar Hussain Shah, President of the Alig Society, delivered the welcome address, while Ghulam Ahmed Khawaja (Retd. DC) presented the vote of thanks. The proceedings were conducted by Adv. Hussain Ahmed Saddiqui (Former Sr. AAG).
Mementos and shawls were presented to distinguished Aligs and guests, including Nasim Malik, Khurshid Bhat, Rafiq Sheikh, Saima Imran, Khawaja Ghulam Ahmed, Dr. Sabha Haseen Mughal, Dr. Shahnawaz Ch, Shoket Hussain Kazmi, Sohail Kazmi, Dr. Haseeb Mughal, A.Q. Manhas, Hussain Ahmed Saddiqui, Abdul Ghani, and Adv. Shahista Hakeem.
Prominent attendees included Iqbal Hussain Kazmi (Editor-in-Chief, Daily Udaan), Maharoof Manhas, Prof. Iftikhar Manhas, Prof. Mohd Zaman, Manzer Khayam, Altaf Hussain Janjua, Adv. Nadeem Hamdani, Moulana Ajaz-ul-Haq Bukhari, Adv. Zaheer Abbas, Prof. Mushtaq Ahmed Saddiqui, and Sarwar Chouhan (Retd. SSP), along with a large number of women academicians and intellectuals.
