USIP President-Select Visits Pakistan
“I’m excited about the work we are doing and can do in Pakistan,” said USIP’s incoming president, former Congressman Jim Marshall, after two days of meetings in Pakistan with peace activists, women and youth leaders, development workers and political analysts. He expressed appreciation for the dedication of Pakistanis who continue their work to promote positive change in places like Karachi and the provinces of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, despite danger, threats, and growing suspicion of the work of NGOs. “Pakistan is currently facing many serious challenges,” Marshall stated, “but I’m very impressed by the commitment of the USIP partners that I met with who are confronting these challenges and working to promote peace.
One Peshawar-based organization working with religious leaders in Pakistan’s restive tribal agencies adjacent to the Afghan border had a member kidnapped and held in captivity for 14 months. They also told the story of other civil society organizations that had had staff or associates kidnapped, killed and in one case beheaded by a militant group.
But when asked, they passionately refuted the idea that the situation was hopeless: “The media and NGOs have an interest in promoting negative stories, but we should also promote the positive ones. In Bannu, there are more women in the markets than 10 years ago. On Facebook, young Pakistanis are making diverse friends from around the world, leading them to question the stereotypes they grew up with. We see a positive change, and that keeps us motivated.”
Marshall also met with peacebuilders who are using public art, film, and radio to promote peace, tolerance, and social cohesion in Pakistan. Following one presentation by a youth organization that is using innovative approaches to communicate messages of peace and tolerance he commented, “Given that bad guys are using public spaces to communicate bad messages, it’s great to now see good guys using those spaces to communicate good messages.”