By Staff Reporter
In the remote valleys of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, where echoes of cross-border tension often drown out the voices of youth, one young woman has chosen dialogue over despair. At just 24, HadiaKhan is leading a quiet revolution—using mediation, education, and climate awareness to transform communities long defined by conflict.
Hadia, a peacebuilder and legal researcher, works through her initiative under PACTA Lexis, focusing on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and community mediation. Her programs empower marginalized groups, particularly youth and women, to resolve local disputes peacefully while addressing the broader challenges of climate change and migration.
“When I first visited the villages near the Line of Control, I saw fear and fatigue in every face,” she recalls. “People had learned to live with uncertainty, but not with peace. I wanted to change that.”
Her workshops—conducted in local languages like Hindko and Kashmiri—bring together young people, teachers, and elders to discuss conflict resolution, environmental risks, and social inclusion. For many participants, it is their first structured conversation about peace.
According to PACTA Lexis field data, more than 1,200 individuals across border villages have directly benefited from Hadia’s mediation and training sessions since 2022. Many now act as community peace mediators, resolving disputes before they escalate and fostering cooperation in rebuilding flood-damaged areas.
But her mission doesn’t stop at peacebuilding. Hadia quickly recognized the inseparable link between conflict, climate, and displacement. In Kashmir, recurring floods and landslides often displace families, intensifying local tensions and forcing youth migration. Through her “Climate Dialogue Circles,” she trains communities to connect environmental resilience with social harmony.
“We cannot talk about peace without talking about climate,” she says. “When the land becomes unlivable, peace becomes fragile.”
In Neelum Valley, her team introduced tree-planting and waste management initiatives following a devastating flood in 2023. What began as an environmental recovery effort soon evolved into a symbol of solidarity. Villagers who once lived divided by mistrust began working side by side—planting roots not only in the soil but in renewed relationships.
Her work has reached beyond village borders. Hadia has engaged policymakers, educators, and international youth forums, advocating for the inclusion of climate migration and peace education in local curricula. She has represented youth voices from Pakistan at several global dialogues, where her calm yet determined presence challenges conventional views on who drives peace processes.
Colleagues describe her as “fearlessly empathetic.” Despite the risks of travelling through conflict-affected zones, she continues to reach remote communities with little infrastructure. On several occasions, cross-border shelling forced her team to halt workshops mid-session. Yet she persists.
“The biggest risk,” she says, “is silence. When we stop listening to each other, the conflict wins.”
Her approach blends modern legal understanding with indigenous wisdom. By using traditional dialogue spaces—mosques, schools, and community centres—she ensures that peacebuilding feels local, not imported. This authenticity, she believes, is what makes the change sustainable.
Hadia’s initiative stands at the intersection of three Sustainable Development Goals—Reduced Inequalities, Quality Education, and Climate Action—reflecting her commitment to inclusive development. Her work also highlights the often-overlooked contributions of young women in peace processes, especially in border regions where their voices are rarely heard.
Observers say her model could serve as a blueprint for other conflict-prone, climate-vulnerable areas. “She’s redefining what youth leadership means,” says a senior development expert familiar with her work. “It’s not about leading protests or projects—it’s about transforming how communities see each other.”
Looking ahead, Hadia plans to expand her training program into digital formats to reach more youth in remote regions. Her goal is to build a network of peace mediators across South Asia, capable of addressing local disputes and climate challenges through culturally grounded dialogue.
Her story is, at its heart, a story of courage—a young woman standing at the confluence of conflict and climate, turning empathy into action. In a place where walls and barbed wires define geography, Hadia Khan is quietly building bridges.
