The 127th radio program as part of the Center for Research and Security Studies’ (CRSS) counter-radicalization initiative Ulasi Taroon (Social Cohesion) aired on the subject theme.
The first guest on show (joined via phone), Dr. Amir Raza from Department of Political Science, University of Peshawar, underlined how constitution promotes equal citizenry through an inherent mechanism; provision of rights vide articles 8-28. Every citizen is equally entitled to fundamental human rights enshrined in the constitution. Similarly, from the perspective of rule of law, everyone is subject to and equally accountable before law, no matter how powerful.
Constitution demands from the government to be considerate of and ensure equality in all the matters of governance and legislations. Only by cultivating this core consideration of equality and equal citizenry, can we ensure social inclusion, capital and mobility in the society, and ultimately strengthen social cohesion.
The educational curricula can play a very important role to promote equality perspectives. Given the outreach and access of teachers – as educational leaders – to the future leaders, they should also be sensitized on democratic values key to respect, acceptance and equality.
The second guest on show, Mahi Gul, noted that inclusion also means acceptance of transgender community at different levels of the society; starting from home, schools and the society at large. They deserve and should be given equal opportunities for social mobility as other citizens.
The third guest on show, Ms. Nazish noted that as Ulasi Taroon Alumni, we are trying to disseminate the ideas learned from these workshops and that is what responsible citizenship demands; to promote the messaging key to social cohesion. This opportunity helped us understand what lies – as fundamental considerations – at the core of conflict resolution.
About Ulasi Taroon
Ulasi Taroon is a counter radicalization initiative of Center for Research and Security Studies that aims to address the radicalization challenges, extremist ideologies and foster social cohesion through a discourse anchored in the core constitutional values which are fundamentally essential prerequisites for social peace and harmony. The endeavor aims to cultivate and sensitize the people of KP in the core values in the Pakistani constitution and our social contract. It’s an attempt to highlight the criticality of abiding by these ideals – such as adherence to rule of law, primacy and sanctity of constitution, equal citizenry, responsible citizenship, respect for fundamental human rights, tolerance for diversity and different opinions, inclusive democracy and good governance – as a measure of strengthening social cohesion and promoting peaceful co-existence.