PESHAWAR: The speakers at a workshop on Friday underscored the youths’ role in promoting interfaith relations, constitution, fundamental rights, positive thinking, and career counseling.

Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) organised the event titled ‘youth for interfaith harmony’, where young people from merged districts participated, according to a statement.

On the occasion, senior journalist Azaz Syed said the society and the education system in Pakistan drilled biases into the minds of young people.

“These biases may relate to social situations or other ethnic and religious groups, and may shape social behaviours among young people,” he said, adding the youth should learn to recognise what their biases were.

He said biases sometimes gave birth to intolerance or even hatred on the bases of ethnicity or faith, therefore, the youth needed to learn to acknowledge their social and religious biases towards others.

The workshop participants were also provided with an opportunity to interact with women professionals such as lawmaker Shagufta Malik and young woman journalist Anmol Shiraz.

The women speakers said young women should pursue their dreams like men.

The society in Pakistan is largely conservative, and it puts up many challenges to aspiring women, Shagufta Malik said, adding women should not be intimidated by such social roadblocks.

The participants were also shown a documentary on the recent destruction of a Hindu shrine in Karak district.

The documentary was filmed by journalist Sabookh Syed in the immediate aftermath of the incident.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2021