Training on understanding cultural diversity of Pakistan

Islamabad: A diverse group of cultural activists from different cities of five provinces and Azad Kashmir attended a three-day residential training on ‘Acknowledging and Understanding the Cultural Diversity of Pakistan’ at Mehergarh: a centre for learning.

During her session, Dr. Fouzia Saeed, former executive director Lok Virsa and a prominent human rights activist, and the founder of Mehergarh, addressed the participants. While talking to the Culture Walas from all over the country, she described the importance of maintaining a strong connection with cultural heritage.

Dr. Saeed highlighted the fact that Pakistan now has a culture policy and underscored the role of cultural activists in promoting and celebrating the diverse cultural landscape of the country. She emphasised that celebrating cultural diversity is a powerful means of fortifying democracy and suggested that branding our culture, languages, crafts, and cuisine can introduce the world to our unique flavours.

Dr. Kamran Ahmad also joined the event virtually and highlighted the significant connections that exist among various cultures. Recognizing these connections enables the building of bridges and fostering relationships between societies that may, at first glance, appear vastly different.

Maliha Hussain, executive director of Mehergarh, explained that the training serves as an opportunity to promote pluralism and celebrate cultural diversity throughout Pakistan. She emphasized how shared cultural identities play a vital role in bringing people together and maintaining harmony.

Fatima Atif, a human rights activist from Hazara, beautifully represented the culture of Hazara Community, Shah Fahad very comprehensively broke very common myth around Pashtuns and shad light upon the beautiful aspects of their culture, Babar Ali and Kurbeet Singh shared an amazing presentation about the culture of Thar Parkar and Rahila Babar talked about the Culture of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral. Farhat Saeed concluded the ceremony by presenting certificates to the participants and sharing her experiences with them.