In this Idea Exchange, Pakistani filmmaker, writer and journalist Beena Sarwar talks about India and Pakistan's childish relationship, the doables in the peace process, and says that democracy in Pakistan is a process, not an event. This session was moderated by Consultant Editor Seema Chishti

Seema Chishti: You are a very well-known filmmaker, writer, journalist in Pakistan. Yours is a voice that is seldom silent, even on all kinds of new media. What do you think about the current India-Pakistan situation, and what do you think has changed?

I think one of the changes is the engagement of youth. We have a very young population, 60-70 per cent of population in India and Pakistan and probably all over South Asia is under 35 or under 25 years. Also, the new media that you pointed out is something that a lot of young people are engaged in.

It just seems that every time Pakistan and India come to any kind of understanding, it becomes a 'troubled time' because that's what suits various vested interests, and they include arms manufacturers, arms procurers, all kinds of right-wing forces on both sides. About the LoC also, what generally newspapers and media cover are the events. Somebody gets killed, somebody gets injured, that is an event. Very rarely is the process followed, what's behind it. What's happening at the LoC has been going on and building up for some time. And other people, much more qualified than I am, pointed out that when you have soldiers who are trained to kill, are given the go-ahead from their seniors, or politicians... So you have a situation at the LoC where before the ceasefire there was a much higher rate of casualties  civilians and soldiers. And now the rate of casualties is a lot less and it makes a lot more news.

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