Daily Times

Speakers at a workshop here on Wednesday sensitized the influential segments of the society about importance of the role they can play in reconstruction of the society at the local level. The two-day training of trainers (ToT) workshop organised under the ‘Hum Pakistani’ initiative was held at the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) in collaboration with the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) and Pakistan Peace Collective. Under the initiative, trainings are being imparted to the people at the tehsil and district levels to promote the ‘Hum Pakistani’ narrative aimed at addressing the common challenges and purging the society from the menace of extremism and terrorism. The event was arranged by Centre for Social Reconstruction, Allama lqbal Open University (AIOU), and largely attended by a cross-section of society. Faculty members from several universities of the federal capital participated in the training programme, who will then help spread the ‘Hum Pakistani’ narrative in every nook and corner of the country.

They speakers underlined the importance of Paigham-e-Pakistan initiative for re-construction of the society. They deliberated upon issues like violence, terrorism and extremism, and called for the nation to be on one platform to combat the menace of intolerance and extremism. They also underlined the need for promoting interfaith harmony among the people of various sects through dialogue and community-based activities.

Calling for the need to promote the spirit of patriotism and love for the country, particularly among the youth, they called upon the government to enforce a unified education system in the country so that rich and poor can equally benefit from the national resources and have a better place in the society.

At the end of the ToT session, certificates were distributed among the participants.

Separately, an event titled ‘Role of Youth in Peace Building’ was held at the Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, as part of Peace Week being celebrated at the university.

Renowned social activist Abrarul Haq, Islamic Research Institute Director General Dr Ziaul Haq, Dr Aftab and Dr Ehsan were prominent among those who spoke on the occasion. A large number of faculty members and students attended the session.

In their speeches, the speakers called for recognizing the invaluable role of young people as agents of peace, change, progress and development. They argued that the best way to achieve the objective of peace building is by providing the young people with effective platforms to raise their voices and giving them opportunities to emerge as harbingers of positive change and development. The speakers said youth is a significant demographic feature of Pakistan’s population and the rising militancy and violence in the country, deteriorating socio-economic conditions and a decrease in employment opportunities have caused disenchantment among the youth.