Eleanor Roosevelt rightly said that “It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it”. Keeping this in mind, the initiative by the Punjab government to launch a pilot programme entitled “Punjab Youth Peace Core” at union council level is a welcome step in the prevailing difficult times. Under this programme, the youth will be trained in peace-building skills and they will henceforth work as peace champions in their respective local communities. It is pertinent to mention here that the pilot phase of the programme has been launched with 600 youth chosen from 30 selective union councils of Lahore and Multan districts. Moreover, in the days to come, the plan is also to gradually expand and implement the programme in the entire province.
Acknowledging the problem of social unrest that prevails in our society, such programmes are need of the hour to promote the culture of peace. It is only through such initiatives that the prevailing violence, wave of terrorism and intolerance can be subdued. Therefore, hats off to Punjab government for launching this pilot programme to train the youth in peace-building skills. Youth is the future of our country therefore, by engaging them to increase tolerance and peace in the community is certainly a remarkable step taken by the government. It is hoped that the government will continue performing its responsibilities with integrity and consequently peace will prevail in our society sooner than later.
Syed Ali Qasim
Lahore
