Author Topic: Pakistan Council for World Religions seminar ‘Peace for Media’  (Read 1591 times)

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Pakistan Council for World Religions seminar ‘Peace for Media’

Media role indispensable in countering extremist tendencies’

PESHAWAR: Speakers at a daylong seminar on Saturday described the role of media as indispensable to start dialogue among various religions, which will go a long way in staving off extremist tendencies in the society.

The seminar titled ‘Peace for Media’ was held under the aegis of the Pakistan Council for World Religions (PCWR) at the Peshawar Press Club, which was participated, besides others, by representatives of various religious minorities.

Former provincial minister for religious affairs Qari Roohullah Madani said the PCWR was formed in 2004 with three main objectives-justice, peace and inter-faith harmony. “We don’t support crime committed anywhere against anybody,” he said.

“Differences are there in every religion of the world and we’ve to live with this reality, but with the spirit of tolerance and co-existence,” he added. Peshawar Press Club President Shamim Shahid said responsibility lies on the shoulders of Ulema and media to frustrate the designs of players of the ‘Great Game’ being played in the region.

Columnist Saadullah Jan Barq said the sole objective of all the religions was to make the people good and useful human beings. Ex-chairman of the Department of Journalism, University of Peshawar and senior journalist Hafiz Sanaullah said that root causes of the extremism should be addressed. “If big powers are sincere in establishing peace, they would have to resolve the issues of Palestine, Kashmir and Afghanistan,” he said.

“Western media has a dominating role in the present scenario and we will have to bring our journalist on a par with their Western counterparts, enabling them to combat a section of the Western media which was biased towards Islam,” he said, adding, “We shouldn’t get irritated due to the biased attitude of the Western media, but counter it with logic and reason”.

Hafiz Sanaullah said the United States couldn’t win the war in Afghanistan by force and it should focus its attention on moulding public opinion in Afghanistan, FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to win the hearts of the people.

Behroz Khan differed with the notion that outsiders were involved in worsening law and order situation in Pakistan. He said the indoctrination of extremism might have been done by alien forces, but one thing is as clear as daylight that manpower for militancy was provided locally.The News