Daily Times

Journalist-turned-filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy launched Pakistan’s first dedicated digital platform for the minorities, ‘White in The Flag.’

An SOC Films initiative, https://whiteintheflag.com will highlight important issues that affect minorities living in Pakistan, while attempting to create a discourse about the experience of being a minority in Pakistan.

Indeed, embracing a digital mind-set has become an essential and a daily feature of how a civil society communicates, persuades, informs and advocates. With ‘White in The Flag,’ Chinoy aims to provide a platform in the form of an interactive website that can be used as a major tool for students, activists and legislators on the issues confronting minority groups by exhibiting a variety of resources associated with religious minority groups in order to advance the relevant policy initiatives.

Indeed, embracing a digital mind-set has become an essential and a daily feature of how a civil society communicates, persuades, informs and advocates

“Approximately 3.8 percent of Pakistan’s population is its minorities, yet the voices of these communities are often suppressed – between forced conversions, abductions, terrorism at their places of worship and target killings, Pakistan’s minorities face an uphill battle just to exist. With ‘White in The Flag,’ we want to ensure that citizens experiencing religious discrimination in our society are able to have their voices heard on issues that are important to them, protect and promote their rights, have their views and wishes genuinely considered when decisions are being made about their lives and communities” said Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy on the launch of this platform.

Conversations related to minority groups in Pakistan happen in isolation. Chinoy believes that with the rapid changes happening around the state of human rights in Pakistan, it is essential to have a focused dialogue with all necessary facts. This resource will record the history, present and future of the minority groups in Pakistan with an aim to help students, advocates, and the minority groups to use the content on the website to weigh, spread awareness and understand the history, present and future.

With https://whiteintheflag.com, SOC Films will be seeking collaboration opportunities with independent bodies, education institutes and organisations that are working for minority groups.