Digital campaign launched to promote interfaith harmony

LAHORE: The Interactive Resource Centre (IRC) Lahore and the US Embassy Islamabad launched Connect Pakistan, a digital campaign, on interfaith harmony and peaceful coexistence.

A private TV hosted the launch ceremony through a webinar and live sessions on its Facebook and YouTube pages. Attendees included US Embassy representatives, digital media professionals, journalists, academics, NGOs and youth.

The launching ceremony featured key-note addresses by the Minister Counsellor for Public Affairs of the US Embassy, Ray Castillo and TV Director Risham Waseem. Connect Pakistan showcased its website, short video films, podcasts, and blogs featuring real stories about interfaith harmony, tolerance, and co-existence in Pakistan in an interactive online session.

The team behind Connect Pakistan consists of youth from the Sindh province. For this purpose, Connect Pakistan produced four short films on the themes of women’s leadership and empowerment, friendship beyond the boundaries of sectarianism, and local sites in Pakistan that inspire love and harmony between different religious groups. The podcast series follows the story of Lyari over the past few decades, the issues faced by workers in the Sanitation and Sewerage Department, female mobility through motorbikes, and the role of the media in the promotion of regional languages and peaceful coexistence.

The team also wrote multiple blogs and started an online advocacy campaign highlighting the contributions of minority communities to Pakistani society, and the everyday struggles of those with low incomes and minorities in Pakistan.

Bhoora Lal, the Project Lead at Connect Pakistan, said “This project is really close to my heart. I believe the process of achieving peace to be an ever-evolving journey. I hope through this platform, we would be able to highlight the positive aspects of different cultures and religions and bring our communities closer.”

The Connect Pakistan campaign was completed under the project Creation of Critical Mass by Engaging Youth Opinion Leaders in Digital Media Literacy and Citizenship through Cross Cultural Understanding, in collaboration with the US Embassy, Islamabad. Under this project, IRC trained 50 Pakistani youth from all over Pakistan to create online platforms for the promotion of cross-cultural understanding and tolerance.