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Pakistan is a land of extreme contrast. On the one hand, some enjoy extraordinary powers, privileges, benefits, and do whatever they desire, while thousands live in miserable inhuman conditions.

It's a pity that the nation’s intellect doesn’t know how to address the prevailing social contradictions in what is becoming an unjust, cruel, confused, and directionless Pakistani society.

The role of media in Pakistan is therefore crucial in exposing the double standards in the country and encouraging open debate on the injustice existing in the country.

A responsible media can inform public opinion and influence policy makers in order to expedite reconstruction and stimulate the reform process for the benefits of the hundreds of thousands forced to live in deplorable conditions.

We need to focus on the bitter truths and harsh realities prevailing in the lives of the marginalized, isolated, and socially outcast members of our communities.

To do this, we need to help the nation understand the unimaginable and inhuman living conditions of our own countrymen and seek solutions and remedial measures at state level to provide equal development opportunities to the deprived and less fortunate in our society.

The Center for Research, Communication, and Dialogue (CRCD) in Islamabad is a national network of grass root organizations. The CRCD is involved in an advocacy campaign aimed at attaining basic fundamental human rights for the country’s marginalized and sub-culture communities.

As part of this effort, CRCD wants to form a partnership with a like-minded TV Channel for the joint production of a series of weekly programs focusing on the problems faced by the numerous voiceless destitute urban and rural communities living in different parts of Pakistan.

Such communities typically include mountain/tribal communities, desert communities, landless farmers, peasants, industrial laborers, bonded laborers, sanitary workers, beggars, scavengers, gypsies, prostitutes, bisexual, musicians, low casts communities, home-based women workers, refugees, criminals/gangs, and the homeless population.

The proposed program would be called Karrwa Sach, which means the Bitter Truth and will be comprise a series of 26-minute documentary films followed by talk shows covering the issues raised in the documentaries.

It’s hoped such a program will generate a national debate on the existing complex social structures within Pakistani society.

It would also aim to highlight issues such as the exploitation of farm workers and laborers by feudal employers and industrialists.

It would look at the colonial age laws in the tribal and semi-tribal areas, examine issues such as the trafficking of children and women, the flesh trade, inhuman customs and traditions, those isolation from mainstream society, extreme poverty and physical and mental torture.

The CRCD has enough research work and links with such target communities and groups that it can provide the information to script documentary footage tackling these issues and help facilitate the recording of the material.

CRCD also has the human resources to assist and guide the crew from a partner TV channel in the recording and post production process.

CRCD will also help identify potential participants and provide anchor presenters for the proposed talk shows.

As a follow-up to the programs, CRCD will undertake a series of advocacy campaigns in the form of printing exclusive features in newspapers, organizing seminars and solidarity walks, printing broachers/pamphlets/posters on the problems and issues faced by these communities, and lobbying/mobilizing concerned public departments and civil society organizations for early interventions and remedial measures.

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