Contact Information
- Where – Kashmir (Asia)
- Website – www.pressforpeace.org.uk
- Contact Person – Zafar Iqbal
- Email – info@pressforpeace.org.uk
- Address – Bank Road, Muzaffarabad, Jammu and Kashmir
Areas of Expertise
Press for Peace has expertise in a range of areas, including:
Main Aims and Objectives
Press for Peace (PFP) is a not-for-profit organization mandated to strengthen and promote peace, sustainable development and community cohesion. Although, the founding members of the PFP were journalists and media professionals, over the time the organization has attracted the attention of other working groups, especially youth, women, minorities, activists and professionals in different spheres of human interest.
Vision
PFP envisions permanent peace, sustainable development and everlasting happiness for all people of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Mission
PFP’s mission is to create a favorable environment for the establishment of permanent peace, secure livelihood and sustainable development in all parts of the state of Jammu and Kashmir by equipping individuals, groups and communities with needed knowledge, advocacy, research and training.
Values
- Humanitarian approach toward the communities PFP serves;
- Accountable and responsible approach;
- Transparent and efficient project management;
- Continuous collaboration with all stakeholders, sponsors and donors;
- Impartiality and equality during resource utilization and skills generation.
Upholding the Principles of Conflict Transformation
PFP – whose slogan is ‘Giving Voice to the Voiceless’ – works to promote peace, tolerance, interfaith harmony and the protection of human rights. PFP aims to utilize the mass media for social change, particularly in the fields of conflict transformation and peacebuilding.
Where and with Whom?
PFP’s work is targeted, but not limited to, communities in Muzaffarabad, Mirpur and Poonch Divisions of the Pakistani side of Jammu and Kashmir.
Initially, PFP started working at the local level, where a lot of emphasis was placed on highlighting the sufferings and hardships of marginalized communities. However, with the passage of time, PFP strengthened its links with other regional and international like-minded people and organizations in order to contribute globally.
PFP has now become a well-established and highly-reputed organization in volatile region of Jammu and Kashmir. The organisation has a deliberate policy of making alliances and partnerships, which has worked successfully in past. The enormity and multitude of community issues cannot be redressed by a single aid organization or charity.
PFP always welcomes local small groups, other NGOs, CSOs, government agencies and international organizations to develop meaningful partnerships in order to achieve shared goals.
Main Activities in the Field of Conflict Transformation
Peace Programme
Since its inception, PFP has been committed to attaining peace and harmony in its targeted communities. At the outset, PFP started working as a local community group in Muzaffarabad, which focused on concentrated media efforts to highlight the miseries of the downtrodden and neglected segments of the society.
Despite of limited knowledge, inadequate resources and an insufficient number of volunteers, PFP started highlighting inequalities and discrimination on various levels. PFP’s work received recognition and acclaim on both the local and national level. Injustice on either side of the Line of Control (LoC) – including human rights violations in Indian held Kashmir and plight of the people’s rights in the name of political integration in Pakistan administered Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan – were made public through peaceful and non-violent means. PFP launched several campaigns for the defence of basic human rights and the preservation of peace on a regional and global basis, including:
- Kashmir: Building Peace Through Trade
- Terrorism and Internal Security Threats
- Indo-China Diplomatic War Over Kashmir
Human Rights Program
PFP’s Human Rights Program promotes understanding about, respect for and enjoyment of human rights. To accomplish this, the program undertakes educational and promotional activities involving the public, educators, non-governmental organizations, government departments and others. This includes providing a selected number of grants and contributions to eligible organizations and distributing human rights publications upon request. The main criterion for successful protection and enjoyment of human rights can be judged from the following nine indicators:
- Political freedom;
- Right to life;
- Judiciary and administration of justice;
- Status and effectiveness of National Human Rights Institutions;
- Freedom of the press;
- Violence against women (VAW);
- Violation of the rights of the child;
- Violation of the rights of minorities and indigenous/tribal peoples;
- Repression on human rights defenders;
All activities in this section are conducted with the collaboration of other human rights organizations in the region. PFP has been arranging different seminars, walks, consultations, trainings on socio-politico and civic issues, whereas it has also created debates among intellectual on electronic and print media in order to guide general public. PFP has also highlighted issues facing various marginalized nations, communities, groups of the region and has been struggling against all kinds of human rights violations committed by state and none state actors.
Recent Comments