WASHINGTON: The
Pakistan Embassy in Washington announced the launch of a project called Experience
Pakistan i
n the United States to engage
Pakistani-American youth as well as
Pakistani professional and community organisations to realize the potential of overseas
Pakistanis.
Under the project, the Embassy of
Pakistan would arrange group visits of
Pakistani-American youth to
Pakistan at frequent intervals. The participants of the programme would be provided unique opportunities to experience various dimensions of rising and modernizing
Pakistan in its cultural and historical perspectives. In a letter sent to members of the
Pakistani diaspora i
n the US, Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani asked the community to joi
n the programme and encouraged young
Pakistani Americans to avail themse
lves of this unique opportunity to visit and experience
Pakistan for themselves.
“This will be a major public diplomacy initiative, aimed specifically to engage with
Pakistani-American youth,” he wrote i
n the letter. He said that
Pakistan’s potential t
o achieve optimal and sustainable growth is hampered by incorrect narratives and a distorted image shaped over time. The negative external influences have had a direct impact o
n the nature and scalability of available development channels.
It is, therefore, a priority of government of
Pakistan to ensure that the country’s strengths and full potential are harnessed, he added. The project is initiated by the Ministry of Planning and development and reform, in light of
Pakistan Vision 2025. The “Know your roots” project aims to proactively engage the young
Pakistani Diaspora all over the world, as well as
Pakistani professional and community organizations. The project aims at connecting young
Pakistani-Americans to
Pakistan.
The
Pakistani-American youth would be able to visit various cities in
Pakistan and interact with senior government representatives and other important institutions. The project will be financed through sponsors and participants will be required to pay a registration fee. I
n the first phase of the Project, 50 participants will be divided into five groups and their visits would be sponsored through the embassy.
All Participants must be of
Pakistan-origin, should fall i
n the age group of 18-26 years and must have finished at least high school education by the time their trip to
Pakistan commences. The participants would be required to offer their input on how we can jointly improve cooperation between
Pakistan and the United States. They would be asked to identify channels through which they can contribute for the betterment of
Pakistan.
Their inputs i
n the form of ideas on how
Pakistan’s national policies o
n the issues of national importance could be improved would be welcomed. Following the visit, they would be e
xpected to project a better and positive image of
Pakistan by becoming brand ambassadors of
Pakistan. The groups under the Project would form an Alumni Network which the future batches could be engaged to further the mission.