Chitral Times Report
ISLAMABAD: A two-day capacity building workshop on “Strategic Communication and Media Engagement in Crisis Situation” for senior federal government officers concluded at the National Management College, Lahore. It was the training workshop, organized by ‘Pakistan Peace Collective’ (PPC), a research & communication project of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. The workshop aimed at refining the skills of the participants with a deeper understanding of interacting with media during crisis situations. The concluding session of training workshop was graced by the Governor of Punjab, Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar. In his address to the participants, he stated that the Government of Pakistan remains committed to eradicating violent extremism at all cost and has expressed its determination at every platform. The role played by various state institutions, he said, including the law enforcement agencies and the armed forces in fighting violent extremism is indeed laudable and has paved the way for better prospects for our country. The task ahead, he added, is equally challenging and it is to change the mindset of those who desire to bring about a change through violence. He stressed that we have to educate the people on peaceful coexistence, which is essential for progress and prosperity. The Chief Executive Officer PPC, Mian Shabbir Anwar, while recapping the deliberations of the two-day training workshop, mentioned that the training focused upon sensitizing the participants with the Emerging Trends & Challenges in Strategic Communication and Media Management as well as the use of Digital Media. The participants he added were also educated on how to identify fake news on various platforms of social media. It is quite encouraging; he said that the training module developed by PPC to help improve upon the communication skills of government functionaries is being utilized by all the important training institutions in the country. He particularly appreciated the support extended by NMC for conducting the training workshop. The speakers/trainers of the workshop included Ms. Quatrina Hosain Sr. Journalist, Barrister Mahreen Khan and Mr. Usman Zafar Manager Research & Social Media in PPC, who covered various aspects of the training module with focus upon, how to interact and utilized various mediums of communication, during any sort of crises situation. The Rector of National School of Public Policy, (NSPP) Mr. Azmat Ali Ranjha, the Dean of the National Management College, Dr. Shujat Ali and the Chief Instructor NMC Dr. Jamil Afaqi were also present at the concluding session of the training workshop.
