Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Islamabad (Agenzia Fides) - There are radio stations that fuel religious hatred and terrorist propaganda and those who combine their efforts to send messages of peace, dialogue and harmony: it is through radio broadcast that divisions and different ideological orientations that exist in the Pakistani society are clearly revealed. The society is split between those who praise Bin Laden as a "martyr" or "hero", and those who believe in peace and the common good, in a secular, tolerant and harmonious nation. All of them have given birth to the radio network "Radio Partnership for Peace", the first initiative of its kind in Asia.
The radio, says Fr. John Nadeem Shakir, director of Radio Veritas in Urdu and Secretary of the Commission for Social Communications of the Episcopal Conference to Fides, “is one of the main means of communication in shaping public opinion and influencing trends in society, also because 65% of the Pakistan society is composed of young people under 25, large radio users listeners. It is important to spread values such as peace and harmony by radio. "
The radio is still the favourite means of Taliban groups to impose their ideological propaganda and their restrictive view of Islam, and to threaten and intimidate the population, especially in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tribal areas. It is regularly used by groups such as "Lashkar-e-Islam" and people such as Mullah Fazlullah, known as the "Radio Mullah" for its frequent radio interventions, imbued with religious hatred and anti-government propaganda, broadcast by a local radio station in the valley of Swat, where the Taliban groups have established a real "absolute reign."
In response to this use of the radio instrument, more than 60 radio stations in Pakistan, of different inspirations, have come together and formed the project " Radio Partnership for Peace , gradually including more than 130 radio stations throughout the country. Radios deal with 150 talk programs and in-depth examination are discussing the implications of the "after Bin Laden" shared with a vision of peace, dialogue and tolerance, which aim at creating harmony and defusing the existing tensions in society. The propaganda of peace, as opposed to the propaganda of hatred by extremist Islamic groups, runs via air in the region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in Punjab and Beluchistan, thanks to many people of good will from all religions, who seek to expose the Taliban propaganda .
In the network "Radio Partnership for Peace" there are independent radios, radio organizations and civil society groups, university radio, community radios, radios which receive funds from the government, stations belonging to religious communities, the Catholic radio station "Radio Veritas" in Urdu: in a statement sent to Fides, the radios say that they desire to commit themselves, in this delicate stage in the history of the country, "to broadcasting programs that contribute to human development in the country, promoting peace, education for young people, according to values of peace and justice. " It also intends to "contrast the religious fundamentalism", thanks to the project of a web site of the network, which would allow listeners to listen to the radio contents “on demand”. The radios call for a revision regarding the restrictions recently imposed by the government which, with a general order, has banned all radio stations to broadcast news, just with the aim to combat extremist propaganda. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 05/07/2011)
