For two days, the National Library reverberated with the sounds and colours of the silk route. More than 250 delegates, representing governmental and non-governmental organisations from both the developed and developing countries, met and dilated on promoting better development practices in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central Asia and parts of South Asia. Numerous national and international experts presented analyses of the AKRSP's approach to participatory rural development and shared perspectives accumulated over the last twenty years of development in the Northern Areas and Chitral. The conference provided an opportunity for reflection and dialogue, distilling lessons and best practices in the form of analytical papers and oral testimonies.