Pakistan

Light in the Darkness: Communities come together

In the shadow of the brutal massacre of 145 children and staff at a school in Peshawar last week by Taliban militants, Muslim and Christian communities in a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, have come together to light candles for the slain and to celebrate the birth of Isa or Jesus, revered by both communities.

In a project, spearheaded by HCR Pakistan, where the two communities are working together to use media to tackle health and social issues and build community cohesion, church and mosque leaders along with members from both communities remembered the families affected by the tragedy and spoke of the need for peace and harmony.  While the pastor announced that they would not celebrate Christmas this year in the light of the murders, an Imam said that his community had brought a cake to celebrate the birth of Isa and that they must celebrate.

A Muslim community radio station in the UK, Awaz FM, joined the event live to report on the interfaith gathering and to discuss the deep grief felt by all Pakistanis at this time.  They were joined by the mayors of High Wycombe and Slough, Cllrs Khalil Ahmed and Shafiq Chaudhry, who praised the organisers of the event, saying more events of this nature were needed to foster peace and understanding among Pakistani communities. 

First Response Radio needed in Pakistan

Thirty participants from Pakistan’s major FM radio channels and representatives from INGO and NGO agencies have welcomed plans to set up a First Response Radio (FRR) network in Pakistan.   Speaking at FRR’s inaugural meeting at a hotel in Islamabad, IOM (International Organisation for Migration) coordinator Naima Saeed told the audience that radio was a key medium for communicating with survivors after a disaster and that establishing First Response radio in Pakistan will be a great step forward in helping disaster affected communities. 

IOM's Naima Saeed speaking at the First Response Radio inaugural event in Islamabad

IOM's Naima Saeed speaking at the First Response Radio inaugural event in Islamabad

The event marks the start of a plan to equip and train local teams to set up a radio station within 72 hours of a disaster anywhere in Pakistan.   HCR’s Hazeen Latif who is the First Response Pakistan coordinator says, “In the last ten years, nine teams have been trained, 15 disasters responded to, and we’ve been getting closer to the 72 hour mark as witnessed in the First Response Radio deployment to Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan.”

The event in Islamabad was a collaborative venture between Pakistan-based NGO, Foundation for Better Tomorrow (FFBT), First Response and HCR. 

HCR's Jon Hargreaves, Ross James and Hazeen Latif with Shaikh Wasim Ahmed, CEO of FFTB

HCR's Jon Hargreaves, Ross James and Hazeen Latif with Shaikh Wasim Ahmed, CEO of FFTB