Peshawar: 28 Feb: Peshawar University (Upesh) has announced that The media of both Afghanistan and Pakistan can play a vital role in promoting amicable atmosphere and good well in the region. People on both sides of the divide have become media conscious with every passing day and the burgeoning Afghan and Pak media needs to bridge the gap between government and people of both the countries in a positive way by bringing the countries together, said Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Barrister Masood Kausar while addressing the inaugural session of two days seminar on cross border media and its role in strengthening peace and dialogue at Areas Study Centre, University of Peshawar. He said that both the countries have deep rooted relations based on religion, common cultural values and norms and the journalist’s community, civil society can contribute a lot to realize it to the public on common grounds.
The conference was organized by Mediotech Afghanistan in collaboration with, University of Peshawar and Peshawar Press Club with financial support of Government of Germany
Barrister Masood added, licenses to almost hundred television channels have been issued to go with one hundred fifty radio channels and newspapers to the number greater than both of them in the past few years. However the capacity building of the media persons seems to be a distant task to which their parent organizations need to give special attention.
The Chancellor appreciated University of Peshawar for arranging seminars on national and international issues concerning the country and the globe. He reiterated his resolve to make Universities in KP as policy centers. It’s time now that wee should decide our issues by ourselves and make durable solution, because this country has all the requisite talent and brain for it, the governor maintained.
World`s history is being rewritten after the 9/11 incident and at this point in time role of journalists from both sides of the divide becomes more important to present the real picture of our people and the happenings around us on a daily basis, said Vice Chancellor University of Peshawar Prof. Dr. Azmat Hayat Khan. He said, we quite often have to rely on the analysis and information given by western journalists. Media professionals from our own areas needs to write more about this region because they are the one who know the social make up of this area, he added.
Senior Journalist Iqbal Khattak said, media has not worked for peace in the region instead they have disrupted it, the main reason behind he said is, they often work under the government influence.
Talking on the ethics of reporting in conflict areas, Dr. Altafull;ah, Chairman Department of Journalism and Mass Communication said, media sells aggression, scandals, unrest and deaths in our region. The main problem is due to our image and the demand of the owner of channels and newspapers; no one is ready to accept a piece of peace from this region as a news item or television package of the same nature. Media personnel’s needs to treat journalism as a profession rather than a mission, this would help solve much of their problems, he added.
Muhammad Saeed Niazi Director Civil Society Afghanistan said we need American and allied forces for rebuilding and development of our country. He claimed that his country has improved a lot our past years in infra structure development and education. He blamed the governments on both sides as the main parities for their lack of effort in trust building and peace in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Use of Islam as a political weapon has badly damaged us in the past thirty years, he added.
A peace painting exhibition was also held on the sidelines of the conference which was attended by journalists, scholars from Pakistan and Afghanistan.