KASHMIR INITIATIVE

The initiative

02THE WORKING FRAME

Established practice.
Locally guided action.

The Kashmir Initiative draws on Global Social Witnessing practice shared by the Pocket Project and Thomas Hübl. Global Mediation Team plans to bring this practice to facilitated listening and dialogue across Kashmir and the diaspora, guided by community voices, care, and local partnerships.

18 monthsimplementation framework

Participation and program reach will be shaped with communities and can grow according to funds raised and delivery capacity.

A POSSIBLE SEQUENCE ↘

Shape the ground

Co-design with trusted community voices; agree safeguards, facilitators, access, and learning questions.

Hold the circles

Global Mediation Team facilitates for people who wish to speak or listen, with trauma-informed care, dialogue, and reflection.

Learn and adapt

Gather voluntary feedback, document aggregate or consented lessons, and refine the approach before any expansion.

MEMORY, TRUTH & HEALING

“In order to move forward, the wounds need healing.”

“This Commission should be set up expediently, before memory escapes.”

Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, concurring opinion in the Indian Supreme Court’s 2023 Article 370 judgment. He recommended an impartial truth and reconciliation commission to investigate violations by State and non-State actors. GMT’s facilitated circles are a separate, proposed community practice.

Read the judgment · Epilogue, paragraphs 116 & 121 ↗

Alpine lake and surrounding peaks at Ratti Gali in Neelum Valley, Kashmir — Ratti Gali Lake, Neelum Valley · ARFayyaz / CC BY-SA 4.0

108future facilitators

GROWING THE WORK

Train people to carry the practice forward.

The proposed longer-term goal is to prepare 108 Global Social Witnessing facilitators and support ongoing programs in Kashmir, the diaspora, and other communities. Medical diaspora networks worldwide are envisioned as important connectors and supporters. Raju hopes to explore a training pathway with Kashmir University. An agreement, curriculum, capacity, locations, and timetable remain to be worked out.

Implementation will build on established practice, with local partnerships, safeguards, and ongoing learning guiding delivery. Scope and pace will scale with funds raised and community needs.