Ulasi Taroon (Social Cohesion) is a bond; a binding force that holds the society together in a cohesive form and creates and fosters the linkages critical to peaceful coexistence and community building. Human development is absolutely important to ensure citizen’s participation in the socio-political and economic progress as well as the democratic development of the country.
The remarks were made by Mr. Roohullah Madani, Former Provincial Minister for Religious Affairs, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while he was speaking at the Ulasi Taroon Youth Capacity Building Workshops’ Annual Alumni Gathering held by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) in collaboration with City University of Science and Information Technology, Peshawar.
Mr. Roohullah Madani said that the guiding principles of the society are the core constitutional values and ideals critical to peace and harmony and their compliance also prevents disintegration and discord. A society is a very diverse place which requires it members to respect each other, exhibit understanding and acceptance for different opinions. Every society in the world consists of multiple faiths and their peaceful coexistence is not possible without mutual understanding and respect. The minorities’ rights are as important as the majorities’.
The nations devoid of vision are more vulnerable to committing strategic blunders. The youth today are very talented and energetic, they need opportunities to grow, compete and harness their potential.
Gratitude is not a courtesy but a responsibility. As future leaders, the youth must understand that expressing gratitude can increase the level of trust people have for you and inspire to be responsible citizens – it’s a key ingredient for effective leadership and cohesion.
The event was participated by over 60 students representing more than 20 different universities across KP. The youth leaders participated in the speech competition on the topic Importance of Social Cohesion for Peaceful Pakistan. They participating students said, “Steering Pakistan out of its current quagmire requires an all-inclusive approach with the active role of youth at its core. Diversity requires respect for and acceptance of differences within the society. The beauty lies in people with different backgrounds working for the same cause. The role of youth is extremely important to social cohesion and peacebuilding cannot be imagined without their participation. They must proactively promote the values of peace and harmony. Only social cohesion can ensure the society’s progress in all areas of life. There is a dire need to inculcate critical thinking skills in the youth. They need capacity building to articulate their views on the important issues during the decision making processes. Also the youth must be positive thinkers and understand and respect diversity. The nations progress due to the presence of tolerance perspectives and the adoption of virtues of cohesion”.
The students also participated in the group exercises where they formulated their vision for the future of Pakistan and identified their roles and responsibilities to get to their collective vision. They said that they want to see peaceful and tolerant Pakistan with harmony among its multiple cultures, equal citizenry, good relations with neighboring countries, strong economy, inclusive democracy, handsome human capital and focus on human development.
Ulasi Taroon is a counter radicalization initiative of CRSS 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 youth – in the universities across 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 fostering social cohesion and peaceful co-existence.
