PESHAWAR - Peace in the region is closely linked with stability Afghanistan and Pakistan, says a panel of experts.
The neighbours should synergise their efforts to curb violent extremism and show zero tolerance towards non-state actors.
On Sunday, the Pakhtun Think-Tank asked nationalist parties to conduct an analysis of their rout in the general election and devise a new strategy.
Former home secretary Syed Akhtar Ali Shah chaired the meeting, which was attended by number of academics, engineers, doctors and advocates.
Peace and security was the most important right of citizens that enabled them to enjoy of quality of life. However, the right was denied to the Pakhtuns, it said.
The participants lamented the Pakhtuns had been subjected to the worst kind of violence for the last 30 years.
Due to extremist views and overplay of violent non-state actors society has been radicalised. The role of those non-state actors had played havoc with social fabric of the society.
The participants of the meeting held that a new paradigm shift at the policy level for peace in the region was required.
The speakers believed that the nationalist and democratic forces were not given a level playing field during and before the election.
The meeting also held that among other fragmentation of nationalist forces, absence of clarity on the national issues, weak organisational structure at the street level, challenge of dynamism and inaccessibility of leadership, failure of managing perception were important factors for the defeat in the election.
They suggested the nationalist parties to conduct analysis of the poor performance in the general election and come up with a new strategy. (Pajhwok)