No one can deny or refuse the importance of communication of any nature and for any purpose
MOHMAND AGENCY, FATA: No one can deny or refuse the importance of communication of any nature and for any purpose, as communication is the key to human development. And due to globalisation the need of communication is more intensive than before. Because neither the government nor the public can contribute to the development of the nation without proper and effective communication.
In the context of the Mohmand Agency in Fata, people’s participation is becoming the central issue of this time and participation requires communication. But cellular network services in the region have been suspended without any reason. Almost all of the developmental projects and initiatives are facing communication problems since January 2017. As a result, the local community held a protest on March 28th, 2017 demanding the restoration of the services, but so far neither a solid action has been taken by the authorities concerned nor has the mobile network been restored.
Communication is central to development in many ways. For example, it enables planners, when identifying and formulating development programmes to consult with people in order to take into account their needs, attitudes and traditional knowledge. Only with communication will the project beneficiaries become the principal actors to make development programmes successful. Helping people at all levels to communicate empowers them to recognise important issues and find common grounds for action, and builds a sense of identity and participation in order to implement their decisions.
On top of that, development involves change, new ways of doing things. Will people have the confidence to make a project work? Will they acquire the new knowledge and skills they need? How can barriers of illiteracy be overcome? Communication media and techniques can be powerful tools to advise people about new ideas and methods, to encourage adoption of those ideas and methods, and to improve overall training. It is also valuable for improved coordination and teamwork to manage development programmes and gain institutional support.
We live in an age of communication and the full impact of communication on development is just starting to be seen. Communication for development has reached the stage where it can have a noticeable and rewarding effect on many development programmes.
We in Mohmand Agency are struggling to contact the higher authorities and hope to connect with them through this paper.
Fakhar Mohmand
Published in The Express Tribune, June 12th, 2017.
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