A grand two day international conference begins at Abdul Wali khan university Mardan organized by the Department of Political Science. The conference titled "The NATO drawdown from Afghanistan, Challenges and Opportunities". Eminent scholars from England, Turkey, Indian and Pakistan are participating in the conference.

The conference started with recitation of verses from the holly Quran. Honorable Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Ihsan Ali welcomed the distinguished guests and shed light on the historical development in the region. He stated that the most of the invaders had come from the west and not from east. The archeological sights show that the people of this region were very civilized and fond of getting education. He linked the present situation with the historical development in the region. He further informed the guests about the rapid development and achievements of the university. He acknowledged the efforts of Prof. Dr. Jehanzeb Khalil, Dean Faculty of Arts, for organizing such a valuable conference.

On the first day of the conference, the scholars included, Dr.Ragip KutayKaraca, Professor, Director of Social Science Institute, head of Political Science and IR Department, Istanbul Gelisim University, Dr. Shanthie Mariet D' Souza,Associate Fellow, Institute for Defense Studies and Analysis, New Delhi, India, Professor David Robert Jones, University of Southampton, UK, Dr. Razia Sultana VC, Benazir Women University, Peshawar, Khalid Khattak former ambassador to Russia and Brazil. Rustam Shah Mohmand, former ambassador to Afghanistan, Dr. Zahid Anwar Prof. Political Science Department, University of Peshawar, Dr. Rashid Ahmad Dean, of Social Sciences, University of Sargodha, Dr. Mussarat Jabeen Chairperson, Sargodha University, Dr. Muhammad Khan National Defence University, Islamabd,

The first session was chaired by Prof. Dr Ihsan Ali. The speakers talked about the NATO withdrawal, the resources, stability, economy, border issues with Pakistan, dialogue process, and the role of the regional and global stakeholders in Afghanistan. They said that there are differences in the policies of the regional and global stakeholders for which all the forces may form a unified policy to address the issues in Afghanistan. They said that there are ideological problems in the region as well.

The second session was chaired by the Prof. Dr Fazly Rahim Marwat. In this session the speakers talked about the impacts on the region after US-NATO withdrawal. They said that it will be a great challenge for Afghanistan's government to address the problems after drawdown. The US must help Afghanistan and Pakistan to eradicate militancy and extremism in the region for long time. Still the threat in Afghanistan is persisting and its fragile situation is worrisome for the neighbor countries.