A path to Peaceful Co-existence

Secularism and Plural Societies in South Asia

A colloquium organised by the Colombo-based South Asia Policy Research Institute discussed Religious Tolerance, Peaceful Co-existence, Secularism and Plural Societies in South Asia recently with the participation of four world renowned speakers and experts on the subject. The speakers Asma Jilani Jahangir, the leading Pakistani lawyer and human rights activist, Professor Rajeev Bhargava, a noted Indian political theorist, Professor Radhika Coomaraswamy who was the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Dr. Christophe Jaffrelotl, a Paris-based French scholar who is a Director of The Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) affiliated to the Institute of Political Science - the prestigious Faculty of political Science of the University expressed their views on the subject in a lively discussion followed by a Q & A session. The South Asia Policy and Research Institute [SAPRI] is Chaired by former President Mrs. Chandrika Kumaratunga. Produced below are excerpts from Professor Rajeev Bhargava’s and Professor Radhika Coomaraswamy’s speeches.