October 29, 2018: CODE PAKISTAN held a consultation with the students and faculty of the Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, on countering on-campus violent extremism in Pakistan. The consultations focused on peacebuilding through on-campus extra-curricular activities and the role of faculty and student forums in countering intolerance and extremism.
The students and faculty members of Khyber Medical University expressed a keen interest in working with CODE PAKISTAN on peacebuilding through on-campus extra-curricular activities. They did express their security concerns with regard to extra-curricular activities on campuses in cities like Peshawar. They added that they could organize drug abuse awareness sessions for students of other universities as well as first aid and healthcare awareness sessions for students of other universities as well as madrasahs.
The students and faculty members of Khyber Medical University highlighted that medical colleges and universities could provide good platforms for encouraging sports and culture by highlighting their health benefits. They added that medical institutions could also help with providing platforms for organizing medical and psychiatric camps with the aim of de-radicalization.
The students and faculty members of the Khyber Medical University were of the view that although Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in general and Peshawar, in particular, had experienced extremism and terrorism like few other places in the country, the youth was committed to making all efforts required for promoting peace, tolerance, and inclusivity. They called for bridging the gap between the population of the country educated in modern educational institutions and the segments of society educated in religious educational institutions.
Alongside the students, the participants of the consultation included the following prominent faculty members of the Khyber Medical University: Dr. Inayat Shah, Dr. Hidayatullah, Dr. Khalid Iqbal, Dr. Sadia Fatima, Dr. Wilayat Shah, Dr. Mohsin Shah, Dr. Syed Hamid Habib, Dr. Shaista Rasool, Dr. Amna Ahmed Khan, Dr. Zahra, Dr. Afsheen Gul, Dr. M. Shahzad, Dr. Numan Ajmal, Dr. Anwar Ali, Dr. Zilli Huma, Dr. Ikram Ali, and Dr. Sohail Sajjad. The consultation was first of a series of consultations that CODE PAKISTAN has planned with the faculties and students of various universities across Pakistan.