Cyber activism redefined

Published in Sci-Tech World

Who hasn’t been disturbed by the events taking place in the past couple of weeks or so? With the Chief Justice of Pakistan being suspended, a popular television show banned and the offices of a television network attacked by police, one can’t help but what exactly is going on. One thing, though, is for sure — even those who claim to be extremely disinterested in the affairs of this country have had plenty to think about, given the recent developments on the political front.

Of course, there is a majority which is already politically conscious, though they may not necessarily belong to any specific party. The concern of such people is their country only and in the face of all these events, these people have taken to the internet. Proud Pakistanis is the website serving as central point of its first movement entitled “White Band for Justice.”

Why white band? “We choose to use the white band, as it signifies purity and justice while the latter part of the slogan is essential as it evokes national pride and patriotism, a core value which has for sometime disappeared from the emotions of all Pakistanis. It’s time to bring patriotism back into Pakistanis,” says the “about” section, explaining in detail what Proud Pakistanis is all about.

The website has various sections, each dedicated to a different aspect of this cyber movement. The main section is the blog, where news, updates and analysis from all over Pakistan are regularly posted. As of right now, news of statements given and protests taken out are only some of the types of news covered here. There are audio clips with some of the news items as well.

The section on the mailing list is next. It invites people to be a part of the Proud Pakistani mailing list at Google Group. This group is an effective outlet where people can vent out their frustrations regarding the current situation and share their views with other like-minded people. It is also a place one can use to keep him/herself updated as events are posted when they occur with subsequent comments by people. Many pertinent questions have also been raised here.

Another section is dedicated to a petition. The website invites all readers to read through the text of the petition and sign it if they agree with it. Basically the petition calls on the President to take five immediate and urgent steps which include the request that the media be permitted at the hearing of the reference. It is amazing to note that within a span of few days, a total of 630 signatures have been collected. If you refresh the page, you’ll notice that the number of signatures has increased.

Moreover, Proud Pakistani has a banner for the convenience of all those who either have their own blog or website. Such people can easily download the banner and put it up at a prominent position on their blog/website, etc.

Overall, the website allows users to be actively involved in it, whether s/he is posting a message on the newsgroup, writing a comment in response to a post on the blog or sending out a link to the petition to every contact in the address book. It also dispels the popular view that many Pakistanis are simply not interested in the political scenario of the country. Apparently they are, and are very active at that.

Visit Proud Pakistani to be a cyber activist