Participants of a workshop highly appreciated efforts made by TOLANA, a group of people struggling to bring peace in society by fighting the indoctrination of violent extremism in KP and FATA. The workshop was arranged by PAIMAN Alumni Trust with the objective of learning lessons by sharing the points of view of peace members working under TOLANA.
MPAs including Syed Jaffar Shah and Naseem Hayat were also present in the workshop along with Chairman Social Works Department, Dr Basharat, and Superintendent of Police, Amir Muhammad.
Speaking on the occasion, Executive Director PAIMAN, Musarat Qadeem said TOLANA works at the community level to create awareness regarding violent extremism, interfaith harmony and build social cohesion through community dialogue and mediation.
"TOLANA, a Pashto word means `Group of People', is a cluster of youth, both male, female and mothers who obtained training from PAIMAN and now become Peace Practitioners in their respective areas," explains Musarat Qadeem. PAIMAN under its programme `Lets Live in Peace' in 2008 started building the capacity of youth, mothers and other civil society members in various aspects of community peace building, she continued.
The beneficiary of peace training programme were later made member of TOLANA who now works in society for ensuring peace and discouraging violence by using alternate narrative to counter extremism and serve the community selflessly and passionately. "It is a process and a movement for countering violent extremism through a non-violent community movement," she added.
The TOLANA works in collaboration with social welfare department, the home department, local government, police and Levis in their respective areas. The basic idea is to develop a co-ordinated and integrated approach though indigenous efforts and actions to counter violent extremism at every level in the society.
"From a concept and a vision, today TOLANA have become a movement and is working against all odds in a non-violent manner to address violent extremism in violent prone and effected regions of Pakistan," Musarat remarked. Giving details about success of TOLANA, she said the programme has sensitized 250,000 community members in KP and FATA since 2009 regarding causes, impact of violent extremism and role they can play in addressing it through 10000 community sessions. It has played an instrumental role in preventing hundreds of youth from becoming radicalised by sensitising their families. So far our team members have been able to reach out to 35,000 male and 11,500 female in different parts of KP and FATA. It has created awareness in 200 educational institutions and madrassas (religious seminaries) through theatre shows, peace poetry and essay competitions.
Mother TOLANA have sensitized and engaged 2700 mothers of vulnerable and extremist youth. TOLANA has resolved 67 community feuds of various natures through community dialogue and meditation. "From a concept and a vision, today TOLANAs have become a movement and is working against all odds in a non-violent manner to address violent extremism in violent prone and effected regions of Pakistan," remarked Musarat Qadeem.