October 30, 2018: The 34th radio program as part of the Center for Research and Security Studies’ (CRSS) counter-radicalization initiative Ulasi Taroon (Social Cohesion) was aired on September 07, 2018, on the topic of “Youth as Peacebuilders”.
“Youth is the greatest asset of every nation. The role of youth is crucial to bring change in the society and all the nations need their contribution in the national development. It becomes much more critical in a country like Pakistan where the youth comprises over sixty percent of the overall population, thus, we need to harness their potential to promote peace, tolerance, equality, justice, rule of law and social cohesion in the society”. These were the remarks of first guest on show, Mr. Shahnam Khan, a young human rights activist.
He appreciated the initiative of Ulasi Taroon and suggested that the youth capacity building workshops like the ones held under this initiative should be take place on regular basis and have an even bigger footprint across the country given their importance in educating the youth in the critical peacebuilding perspectives. Shahnam stressed that youth development is a collective responsibility where parents, civil society organizations, educational institutions and above all, the state should make concerted efforts to guide the youth in the proper direction and help them channelize their potential into the national development. The youth is abundantly talented, but just lack opportunities. Therefore, the government should provide proper opportunities and platforms to the youth to play their much needed role in and as social cohesion and peace builders.
The second guest on show, Miss Mashal Khan noted that both male and female populations are equally responsible for peace building in the society. However, the key issue faced right now is the capacity of youth leaders and availability of forums that they can utilize to express themselves in a logical, dispassionate and focused way.
She said that the greatest challenge for the state it is to give quality education to youth and sensitization on the core constitutional values that result in sustainable peace and Ulasi Taroon (social cohesion).
Both the guests were highly appreciative of the role of CRSS. They said Ulasi Taroon program is an inspiring example for other civil society organizations to undertake peacebuilding – through youth capacity and leadership development – on the similar lines.
“The present generation is privileged to have host of unprecedented opportunities especially social media – something lacking before – which has an infinite potential for strategic communication. Given this accessibility, it clearly has a strong edge over the previous generations which ought to be justified by utilizing it well for peacebuilding”, said Neelab Khan during the radio report.
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 fostering social cohesion and peaceful co-existence.