Global Campus Program on Peace and Conflict Studies

School of Politics and International Relations (SPIR) launched the Global Campus Programme (GCP) in coordination with the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS), and University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (UAJK) on December 5, 2014, through video conferencing facility recently installed at its Seminar Hall.

Purpose of the programme is to bring together the students of different universities and let them discuss the dynamics of the contemporary conflicts, besides acquainting them with the theoretical aspects of peace and conflict studies.

Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, Director SPIR congratulated the participants and the organisers for the successful re-launching of the programme. Professor Kenji Isezaki and Ms. Amna Aziz thanked the QAU for providing them with the opportunity to interact with the students from this part of the world.

On the first day of GCP, students from UAJK gave a presentation about the dynamics of Siachin and Kashmir conflicts which have marred the relations between the two nuclear weapons states. In the discussion and Q/A session, the students from TUFS and QAU raised some interesting questions and comments about the conflict resolution strategies regarding the two conflicts. On December 19, 2014 students from SPIR will be acquainting the participants about the conflict resolution strategies being adopted by Pakistan in dealing with the ongoing conflict in the tribal areas of Pakistan, especially the dynamics of ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb.

The programme will continue till January 23, 2015 and it is expected that by then the students from all three universities will get ample chance to interact and share their views about different contemporary conflicts and the possible approaches to resolve or at least manage them. The program also aims at providing the participating students from various nations to interact with each other in a friendly yet academic environment to carry out constructive debates on subjects of importance pertaining to Peace and Conflict studies. Furthermore, the program will also help students of SPIR experience various teaching and learning methods from other nations. Moreover, the program will also help the participating students to look at any conflict situation beyond any given cultural lens hence developing in them rational thinking and analytical skills. This program is the first of its kind that is being offered at the School of Politics and International Relations. However, the School’s management has been striving hard to broaden the said program on the one hand and initiate more such programs which can help its students build sound academic skills and capabilities. It is worth mentioning that various other programs of such kind are under consideration. Considering it the sine qua non, the SPIR has already installed cutting-edge video conferencing equipment donated by TUFS so that the above-mentioned aims can be materialized.