Need to battle extremism with public diplomacy in Pakistan: US lawmakers

Washington: Nowhere in the world is it more important for the United States to battle extremism with public diplomacy than in Pakistan, said US Representatives Brad Sherman and Carolyn Maloney in a statement as they commended American Broadcaster Voice of America's (VOA) launch of the Sindhi Language Programme.

"We are thrilled that, after many years of advocacy for a Voice of America (VOA) Sindhi language program, Voice of America announced that it has launched a Sindhi language webpage," Sherman and Maloney said in a joint statement.

"There is perhaps nowhere in the world more important for the United States to battle extremism with public diplomacy than in Pakistan, a nuclear-armed state with significant security challenges. VOA outreach in Pakistan will be far more effective with VOA communicating in the Sindhi language," the statement added.

Currently, VOA Urdu actively engages with several television and radio affiliates in Pakistan, offering updates on the latest developments in the United States. Urdu is the native language for only an estimated 8 per cent of Pakistanis. An estimated 14 per cent of Pakistanis - over 30 million people - speak Sindhi, yet VOA had no service in Sindhi.

The US lawmakers said the launch of a VOA Sindhi-language website is a meaningful step towards expanding VOA's reach and message in Pakistan. "We hope it is just the first of many steps towards a full VOA service in the Sindhi language."

After a long wait to reach out to the members of the Sindhi minority community in Pakistan, Voice of America, this week, the Sindhi language (voasindhi.com), under VOA's Urdu broadcasting service, launched a new webpage.

Voice of America's Urdu Service has been broadcasting to Pakistan since 1952 and reaches over 6 million people every week. With reference to Voice of America's global services, after the addition of Sindhi language, the number of Voice of America listeners and viewers in Pakistan will increase further.

The Sindhi language is mostly spoken in the South and East region of Pakistan, while the number of speakers in South Asia is over 35 million. The content of the new language webpage will cover global news, current affairs, science, technology, women's issues and education as well as issues of bilateral relations between the US and the South Asian region and its population.

Yolanda Lopez, Acting Director of Voice of America, earlier explained that the new service will provide Sindhi speakers with the important news and information they need, as well as help tell the story of America in the region.
After the promotion of the Sindhi language, Voice of America is now broadcasting in 48 languages, nine of which are spoken in the South and Central Asia region. (ANI)