Arz-e-Pakistan March highlights unity in diversity

The participants express their feeling of patriotism and unity

LAHORE: Bargad, a youth-led and youth-focused non-governmental organisation, in collaboration with the Youth Affairs Department, government of the Punjab, Chief Minister’s Special Monitoring Unit (SMU) and Walled City Authority Lahore organised the “Arz-e-Pakistan March”.



The march is part of a campaign entitled “10 days for Pakistan” to commemorate this year’s Independence Day celebrations. Youth Affairs, Sports, Archaeology and Tourism Deputy Secretary Tehmina Habib highlighted the diverse cultures of Pakistan.

“Through this march, we hope to achieve two results, first to showcase the diversity within Pakistan and second, to showcase that diversity only makes us stronger.”

The main theme of campaign is to celebrate inclusion, diversity and unity.

Speaking on the occasion, Education Minister Rana Mashood Ahmed Khan said that the celebration with such grandeur represented a progressive and peaceful Pakistan.

“We, as a nation, are developing at a rapid pace and in order to keep up, a message of harmony and tolerance needs to be spread time and again,” he said.

Youth Affairs Department Secretary Nayyer Iqbal said that the youth required to actively engage in affairs of the society and state in order to celebrate the true essence of Quaid's Pakistan.

“For that, assist each other in every way possible to promote open-mindedness and equal opportunities for all citizens," she said.

PILAAC Director General (DG) Dr Sughra Sadaf said that the organisation would never miss an opportunity to highlight the heroic efforts of our forefathers.

Briefing about the campaign, Bargad Executive Director Sabiha Shaheen said that the campaign was an effort to promote togetherness, diversity and unity.

Following the inaugural session, a panel discussion titled "Way forward for a peaceful Pakistan" was held. The panellists included MPA Dr Nausheen Hamid, SMU Head Fatima Zaidi, Dr Ghazala Irfan, Professor Shahid Gul, Secretary General Hindu Sudhar Sabha Aroon Kumar and Serviceman Aziz Masih.

CM’s SMU Head Fatima Zaidi said that Pakistan was a land of diverse people with diverse background, we must celebrate this diversity in order to celebrate what makes Pakistan special.



MPA Nausheen Hamid contributed to the discussion by highlighting the efforts that can be made to promote equality through parliamentary forums and legislative drafts.

Dr. Ghazala Irfan went on to speak on the importance of understanding and accepting differences of opinion stating. She said that society is a series of contradictions, to understand a societal aspect we must look at both sides of the story.

“Believing that only your perspective is right leads to an inability to understand one another but through dialogue we can learn to not only understand but also accept diversity,” she added.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 14^th, 2017.