Pakistani Rickshaws Promote Peace

Pakistani youth leader Syed Ali Abbas Zaidi has a plan to counter the relentless message of violence spewed by extremists in his country —  and he is stealing a gimmick from the enemy’s own playbook to do it. His weapon: the three-wheeled motorized rickshaws that buzz along Pakistan’s streets.

Extremists have long used the vehicles as a canvas for slogans that foster hatred. Zaidi is turning that strategy on its head with a fleet of rickshaws emblazoned with peace slogans and decorated with colorful designs similar to those found on many trucks and buses in the country.

Zaidi chose to begin his “peace rickshaw” project in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi.

“We need to take back this romanticized art form and use it for peace sloganeering and conflict resolution,” said Zaidi, head of the Pakistan Youth Alliance.

The alliance held workshops with more than 200 students in some of Karachi’s most conflict-prone areas to come up with designs and slogans for the rickshaws.

Some take common Urdu street expressions, such as “Hey dude, don’t tease,” and give them a peaceful twist: “Hey dude, don’t fight.” Others cite snippets of Sufi poems, phrases from the Quran or messages of interfaith harmony: “Respecting other religions brings respect for your religion.”

The group hopes to spread the fleet to Pakistan’s other major cities as it gets more funding.

One volunteer said: “I agreed to work on the program because everyone needs to do their part to spread peace and love in the country.”

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For more information about the Pakistan Youth Alliance, go to www.pya.org.pk.