DCM Haidari Promotes Afghanistan-India-Pakistan People-to-People Relations

New Delhi: - Deputy Chief of Mission M. Ashraf Haidari joined Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit, Director General of Indian Council for Cultural Relations Suresh Goel, and Empowerment Secretary General Sonika Agarwal to open “Colors of Hope,” an arts exhibition at the Azad Bhavan Art Gallery in New Delhi, on March 28, 2014. The six-day arts exhibition, a major event of cultural diplomacy, displayed the artworks of Indian and Pakistani artists, who discussed their different works and how society, culture, and religion had influenced their impressive paintings and sculptures.

The Pakistani and Indian artists who were recognized included Ayesha Mariam Durrani, Fizza Saleem Shaafi, Marim Hanif, Romessa Khan, Amna Ilyas, and Sonika Agarwal. Mr. Haidari participated in handing out recognition awards to the artists, while praising their artistic accomplishments, transcending issues of politics, which unite the peoples of South Asia with many socio-cultural commonalties.

Pakistani artists shared with Mr. Haidari their concern about growing radicalism to be one of the major obstacles to development of arts in their country. They said that radical elements had indiscriminately targeted journalists and artists, who freely expressed themselves. As ordinary citizens of Pakistan, they sympathized with Afghans, who were daily attacked by the same radical forces. They expressed a deep interest in visiting Afghanistan to work with female artists, which Mr. Haidari welcomed as an effective way through which the ordinary citizens of Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan with shared concerns and interests could bring their nations closer for results-oriented cooperation.

In 2011, Afghanistan and India signed a comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement, a major part of which focuses on “social, cultural, civil society and people-to-people relations.” Within this framework, Afghanistan and India have exchanged many delegations, further deepening cultural ties and understanding between the two countries. Afghanistan promotes similar exchanges with all its neighbors, including Pakistan, understanding that ordinary people across the region have shared needs, interests, and concerns, which their governments should work together to address.