While checking into a major international chain of Hotels in Cairo, a couple of years back, I was intrigued more by fascination than surprise by the “ Pin” all the staff were sporting on the lapel of their jackets; it read, “Yes is the answer, What’s the Question?”.

A great slogan I thought for the service industry. Upon return, I suggested its adoption to my CEO; he sneered at me from behind his bold rimmed glasses and said,” Do you know our culture? I can only shudder to imagine and think of what type of questions clients would be asking to our young colleagues, particularly the young girls at the counters.” His valid remark nailed my enthusiasm. I have today tweaked the slogan for coining the caption to this piece.

Dialogue is a process of communication in which people with different perspectives sit around a table to seek understanding of each other’s point of view. This allows for driving a certain mutual understanding of issues. There is no problem or issue that cannot be tackled or resolved through dialogue.

For coexistence, equality is not a necessity. But what is important is the willingness to avoid conflict and embrace the concept of engagement and conversation. There is an English proverb: “ Let’s agree not to step on each other’s feet, said the cock to the horse”.

After having dumped upon each other all the ammunition and thousands of kilograms of sulphur, in the wake of which several innocent human lives are lost, nations decide that enough of warfare, let’s sit down and discuss the terms of ceasefire. Peace is an after-thought. War is a passionate pursuit.

Battles are fought where victories are at best temporary. A member of the Wali Khan family of KPK, who is a dear friend and a former colleague, narrated to me that there was this old lady in Charsadda, who was proud to have lost her only son to martyrdom during 1965 War.

Post-war in a conversation, a villager informed her that following a ceasefire brokered by the Soviet Union, the two warring countries had signed a declaration to go back to the defined Line of Control, and peace had been restored through “talks”. The old lady broke........

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