Agli bari meri? As violence hits Karachi, CAP makes people wonder if they are next

Anti-violence awareness campaign hits the streets.


Express June 15, 2011

KARACHI:


The Citizens Archive of Pakistan (Cap) has launched a city-wide anti-violence awareness campaign in the same place where crime is rampant - the streets of Karachi.


The idea behind the campaign is to involve the public in a dialogue about the impact of violence on their lives, their families and the entire community. Cap volunteers have been throwing flyers into buses to tell people how many people have died in attacks since 2002.

Stickers carrying such statistics have been stuck on rickshaws and buses, whose drivers have so far been very supportive of the campaign, the volunteers said. Street children have also been given t-shirts that mention the death tolls.

Cap members have been conducting interviews with people who have either witnessed an act of violence or been subjected to one. Their website allows people to record a one-minute audio of their experience and how they feel the violence has affected their lives. It also lists the contact numbers of all rescue services in the city.

So far, the campaign has been carried out in DHA’s Khadda Market, Zamzama, Cantt, II Chundrigar Road, Lucky Bazaar, Empress Market, Clifton, Tower and Sea View. Cap will continue the campaign for this entire week.

The campaign is part of ‘This is my story: Dialogue with Pakistan’, which is a multi-media exhibit and awareness campaign that aims to initiate dialogue and offer a solution in response to violence that has become such a normal part of life in Pakistan. The campaign is simultaneously running in Lahore.

The good times

For educationist Rita de ‘Souza, Karachi in the early days was “a delightful city where life was easygoing and graceful”. She added, however, that “it is very hard now to have to recall those memories in the turmoil and violent city in which we are living today”. She mentioned that as a teenager, she used to cycle on her own from one part of the city to another and felt perfectly safe.

Akhtar Alavi, an adviser at EFU, spoke of the diversity in Karachi and how different ethnic and religious groups coexisted. “Karachi was a cosmopolitan city even then,” he said.

“There were people from all walks of live and most particularly there were people who were practising different faiths and religions. There were Hindus, there were Muslims, there were Christians, there were Parsis, there were Buddhists, Jews; everybody lived peacefully.” Press release





Published in The Express Tribune, June 16th, 2011.

COMMENTS (6)

Salman Orangiwala | 12 years ago | Reply @ Shahida Kazi , aptly said . @ Anushka and Suhaib Say , I would like to join your cause , just ride on a bus from Defence / Clifton ( presumably ) , head for Orangi Town via Kati Pahari or Banaras ,if you could make it to Qasba Colony , Raees Amrohi or Gulshan e Bihar ( never heard of them !!!! right ? don't bother ) , me and fellows will be more than happy to welcome you . Bon Voyage !!!!!
suhaib | 12 years ago | Reply I have been working with Cap for last few days as a volunteer, it was such a nice experience to go to different areas of Karachi including remote areas, some of the markets and office hubs. we went to Saddar, Patail para , Qaumabad , Shereen Jinnah Colony, I.I.Chundrigarh road , Tower, Light house, Cantt station and many more to give away fliers and to paste stickers on rickshaws and buses. After working continuously six to seven hours, for three days, under the burning sun. I feel so happy after seeing the outcome of the campaign. People are calling on the official numbers and are sharing their ideas about it. That's the first step to initiate the dialogue. This outcome is a huge appreciation for Cap Team and this will help them in moving forward to the next step.
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