Quetta – Experts at a workshop said that social cohesion could only be attained through the true implementation of the Constitution, which guarantees that people belonging to different ethnicities, faiths and languages can live in peaceful coexistence.
They said inclusivity means providing equal opportunities in life to all segments of society and respecting everyone, regardless of religion or ethnicity.
Academics, religious scholars, journalists and political activists spoke at a two-day national workshop titled ‘Building Bridges: Fostering Tolerance and Inclusivity among Youth’, held at a local hotel.
Students from universities, colleges and seminaries of Quetta, Panjgur and Noshki participated in the event organized by the Islamabad-based think tank Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS).
Religious scholar Allama Akbar Hussain Zahidi said social cohesion in the society could only be attained by implementing the Constitution of Pakistan in letter and spirit. “The Constitution is a binding force among different groups of society,” he said. He added that most of the problems of Balochistan could be resolved only by implementing this document.
Shahzada Zulfiqar, senior journalist and former president of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), said Pakistanis, as citizens, were reluctant to accept people of opposite faiths, ethnicities and languages, which posed a hurdle to achieving social cohesion.
“It is the Constitution, which guarantees that people from different religious, ethnic and linguistic backgrounds can live in peaceful coexistence,” he said. He further said that everyone should respect others’ ethnicity, faith and opinion.
Professor Mir Sadaat Baloch, Pro Vice chancellor of the University of Makran, urged the students to shun violence and negativity. “The actual problem of Balochistan is not terrorism but there is a governance crisis in the province,” he added while taking part in a panel discussion.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader Maulana Abdul Haq Hashmi talked about salient features of the ‘Paigham-i-Pakistan’ – a consensus Islamic decree issued in 2018, which serves as a national narrative to counter extremism and terrorism in the country. “The decree explicitly tells us that one cannot impose his religious thoughts on others,” he said. The document recalled that no one could be allowed to spread hatred against others’ faith or sect, he added.
Dr Aurang Zaib Nasar, assistant professor at the Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences (BUITEMS), advised that universities should focus the capacity building of students while academia should work on promoting critical thinking among them. He highlighted that students in Balochistan have more opportunities due to less intense competition, compared to those in other parts of the country.
Educationist and poet Ali Baba Taj noted that students must prepare themselves for how to align with society and step into practical life.
Saleem Shahid, Bureau Chief of the Dawn, said the Constitution could be amended if any group had some reservations over it but it must be accepted by all. He explained that the Constitution was a living document that could be changed according to the needs of the time.
Author and editor Yar Jan Badini said all languages and cultures of Pakistan were like a bouquet and they should be preserved and protected. He claimed that the number of Balochi speaking people had been undercounted in the population census, which was a discrimination.
Political and human rights activist Jalila Haider said the word ‘tolerance’ had both positive and negative connotations. “Tolerance is an indigenous-rooted education and it emerges in a society where everyone is respected, regardless of religion or ethnicity,” she said. She added that tolerance was reflected at physical spaces in Pakistan but intolerance was evident on social media, where people threatened one another.
“Inclusivity means providing equal opportunities to all segments of society and bringing less developed groups on par with others by giving them incentives,” PIPS President Muhammad Amir Rana said in the concluding session. He added that inclusivity started from home by living in harmony with other family members.