“Teachers can practice and preach empathy to promote tolerance”

“Teachers can practice and preach empathy to promote tolerance” Islamabad PR/3 July 2019 Teachers can show the seeds of tolerance in society, if they practice and preach the values of empathy – putting one-self in another’s shoes. Empathy can open them to divergent understanding of same problem, producing a society that is more tolerant of … Read more

“People strongly believe their identities make them vulnerable or favourable”

People think their lives are greatly shaped by the group they belong to, whether ethnicity, sect, religion, among others Individual rights, although ignored, are being demanded too, manifested in freedom of expression and women rights movement Constitutional safeguards needed to mainstream those on the fringe in particular GB, AJK, persons living with disabilities, and religious … Read more

Structural reforms can help curb identity-based profiling

PR/Islamabad/17 April 2019 Participants at a day long discussion opined that religious, sectarian, and ethnic profiling played a critical role in creating an identity crisis in Pakistan and urged the state to bring structural reforms to address this issue. The dialogue was  on “Coexistence with Multiple Identities”, organized by Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), … Read more

“State’s neutral role can help solve identity crisis”

Islamabad/16 April 2019 Participants at a daylong discussion stated that citizens look towards the state to set the tune of interaction with each other. But the state’s inability to stay neutral when dealing with plural identities results in mistrust leading to conflict at times. To avoid conflict the state should promote inclusivity towards each and … Read more