ISLAMABAD  -   A six-day capacity building workshop regarding Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Media Product Development for the students of media studies and PTV journalists concluded here at the Pakistan Television Training Academy Saturday.

Around 34 students of media studies departments from 16 universities and four correspondents of PTV News and Current Affairs participated in the workshop. Pakistan Peace Collective (PPC), a research & communication project of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MoI&B), organised the workshop which was aimed at providing refined professional media product development skills with a deeper understanding of the role of media in countering violent extremism.

The training workshop unwrapped with a discussion on Narratives, Impact & Critical Analysis of Conflict Reporting in Pakistan and the role of Media in Countering Violent Extremism (CVE).  The concluding session of the training workshop was chaired by Principal Information Officer, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Mian Jahangir Iqbal. While addressing the participants, Mian Jahangir Iqbal emphasised upon the need for peace and harmony in the society to achieve the higher benchmarks of progress and development.

He advised the participants to strive for achieving the higher objectives of life and play their due role in this regard, when they enter into practical life.  He expressed the hope that the participants would utilise the lessons learnt during the training workshop and contribute towards the peace building efforts as responsible communicators particularly while covering issues of violent extremism.

He later distributed certificates among the participants of the workshop.

The session was also attended by Shabbir Anwer. CEO/COO Pakistan Peace Collective, Lt Gen (R) Shahid Iqbal, Ambassador Sanaullah, Mian Aslam, leading businessman, and Shiekh Mumtaz scholar/writer.

The week-long workshop based on the technical sessions for CVE based video and documentary production included script writing, conducting interviews, utilising camera techniques, grammar of sound, lightning and editing. Students were also given a chance to interact with some victims of violent extremism in Pakistan. In the practical exercises, the participants also produced media products through smartphones based on the themes identified during the training.

During training, the PTVC facilitated the participants for the exposure visit at PTV News, and arranged a talk show that enabled the training participants to interact with Rana Qaisar Sr. Journalist, Brig. Mowadat Rana Chief Editor, Journal of Pakistan Psychiatric Society and Mian Shabbir Anwer, CEO/COO of PPC.

In the past five days senior journalist Shafi Naqee Jamie, Tahir Imran Mian of BBC, Kamran Butt from National College of Arts Lahore,  Ahmed Yousaf Producer GEO TV, and  Farhan Mushtaq Producer PTV Lahore, and Faizan Gul from PPC also delivered their respective lectures on various related themes.