Addressing a special session on Kashmir on the second day of the 4-day international conference titled “Dynamics and Revival of Silk Route” at University of Kashmir this afternoon, the varsity vice-chancellor, Prof. Riyaz Punjabi said, “It is high time to assess the economic gains leading to human security and peace among India and Pakistan. China and Pakistan in general and Kashmir in particular would accrue with the revival of this route.”

Prof Punjabi, who chaired the session, said there was urgency to open up this road up to Gilgit and beyond on the one side and through Ladakh on the other. “The revival of Jehlum Valley Road and Silk Route would give a boost to trade, business and commerce of Kashmir and open up new markets for the Valley in China and Central Asia,” he said, adding the revival of Silk Route from Kashmir would reinforce Sufi traditions, multi-culturalism and people-to-people contact.

The conference is being organized by the KU’s Centre for Central Asian Studies (CCAS) to examine the pros and cons of the revival of Silk Route. “With the onset of globalization in which borders are becoming meaningless, revival of the route has a great potential to accelerate the processes of globalization in South Asia,” Prof Punjabi said.

An authority on Silk Route, Prof Mushtaq Ahmad Kaw, professor at CCAS, said the re-opening of the route was becoming indispensable given the current geo-political situation. “The closure of these vital road links have halted free trade and human relations, cultural relations besides our other connections with the regions,” he said.

In his presentation titled Structure and Revival of Silk Route through Kashmir, Prof Kaw highlighted diverse dimensions and the forces that contributed to its closure in 1940s, ’60’ and ’70s. “Notwithstanding several challenges and threats, its renewal is beneficial to all partners like India, Pakistan, China and Afghanistan besides the people of Jammu and Kashmir from diverse points of view.

Highlighting the Silk Route manifestation on Kashmir art, Dr Aijaz Banday of CCAS, said it was not only the sculptures but even Kashmiri painters have left behind considerable reminisces to remind of their versatility and sensuality. “The earliest portable paintings found today on the sub-continent are from Gilgit,” he said. “Gilgit connected Kashmir on the north-west side of Kothan and was used for the Silk Route traffic profusely till the 10th century.”

He said the Kashmir-Silk Route traffic was vibrant as visualized by finding the portable sculptures of Kashmir, particularly the Bronze images, in Tibet.

Noted historian, Prof Muhammad Ishaq Khan, also spoke on the occasion, linking Silk Route to the Kashmiri identity and consciousness.

Besides Prof GR Jan and Dr Afaq Aziz, the director CCAS, Prof GM Mir, also spoke on the occasion and examined the need and possibilities for revival of some Silk Route Connections between Kashmir and Central Asia.

Meanwhile, experts from different parts of the world discussed the global importance of the Silk Route and the role it played in building different Central Asian regions. More than 20 papers were presented on various aspects on 2nd day of the conference, which is being attended by scholars of eminence from different parts of Central Asia. Prof Valeriy S Khan of the Academy of Sciences, Uzbekistan, said the Silk Road was of global importance.

“The Great Silk Road was the first in the history of humanity integration model,” he said in his paper titled The Global Importance of the Great Silk Road.

Valeriy said the interest of restoration of the Great Silk Road was associated with expansion of tourism along its routes. “It is one of the most attractive routes and largest in the world, having 12800 kms in extent,” he said, adding that since 1994, the World Trade Organisation has initiated international meetings, seminars and projects on the Great Silk Route.

In his paper titled “Nisapur on the Silk Route”, Prof. PL Dash, Eurasian Studies University of Mumbai, highlighted the role Silk Route played in the development of Nisa, an ancient city on the Turkman territory. “Due to centrality of its location along the route, all sorts of trade like handicrafts, agriculture, textile and so on flourished in the city,” said Prof. Dash.

All these activities, Dash added, facilitated further growth of Nisa as the city development a lot in terms of infrastructure.

The Director, Valikhanov Institute of History and Ethanology at Almaty, Kazakhstan, said that Kazakistan was located on the Great Silk Route and had paid attention to the problems of its revival. “The search of arguments in this direction became one of the priorities for Kazakhstan. The focus is on the revival of the cultural aspects of the Silk Route,” Prof Sattar F Mazhitov said in his presentation, “Silk Route and Kazakhstan: A Historical Perspective.”

Azad Shamatov, Professor and Head, South Asian Languages at the Institute of Oriental Studies, Tashkent, said the legendary Silk Route played an outstanding role as the cultural bridge among civilizations, including Central Asia and India.

Shamatov, in his presentation titled “Silk Route and its Contribution to the exchange of Folk-Tradition between India and Central Asia” highlighted several modes of historical interactions between the regions in the sphere of folklore with special emphasis on Kashmir, Sindhi, Punjabi and Uzbek literary traditions.

Dr Shi Lan from the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, Institute of Central Asia, Urmchi China, stressed on the role Xinjiang can play in the re-construction of modern age Silk-Route in her presentation titled “Silk Route Structure: The contribution of Xinjiang to its Growth.”

Prof Tian Weijiang from China gave a presentation on the “Review of Archive Materials about Marc Aurel Stein Stored in Xinjiang Local Archives”. He highlighted the multi-dimensional personality of Archaeologist Marc Aurel Stein, and his tremendous contribution in the field of archaeology and culture of Kashmir, India and Central Asia.

Others who presented their papers included Chinara Rustomova from Turkmenistan (Turkmenistan on the Silk Route: Past and Present); Prof Zardy Khan Kinayadyly (The Silk Route Under the Mongols); Dr Mahesh Ranjan Debata (Importance of Turfan as a Silk route City: A Historical Perspective); Zianura Rysalieva (Kyrgyz Diaspora in the countries of Great Silk Road: Holistic Profile); Prof Meruyert Abusseitov (Silk Route: Inter-relation of Cultures): Prof Dilorom Alimova (Heritage of Great Silk Road and Uzbekistan); Prof Valeria Piancentiei Fioran (The Contribution of Silk Route to Religious Syncretism: Its Reflection on Painting and Architecture during 14th to 17th centuries); Dr Jean Marc Arakelian (Silk Road as an inspiration to a Specific Mughal Artist); Dr Ranjana Mishra (Buddhism Along the Silk Route), Prof Ismagulov Orazak (Ethno-anthropological Aspects of the Silk Route in Kazakhstan); Prof Valeiry Khan (The Revival of Great Silk Road in the context of Globalisation); Prof Gulshan Dietl, Prof Hafeez Malik, Dr Bushra Hameed, Prof Bolat Tatibekov, Dr Nicklas Norling, Prof Iihan Sahin, Tajamul Hussain, Dr GM Shah.