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MMA minister supports cultural exchange with US

PESHAWAR: Siddiq Ahmed Kanju, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) provincial information technology minister, has said that he supports cultural exchange programmes between Pakistan and the United States aimed at promoting greater understanding between the two peoples.

“This is an impressive experiment and I offer to host an American family to tell them that we are not what they think about us,” Mr Kanju told a function organised by the International Education and Resource Network (IEARN), to start off an orientation programme for 45 Pakistani students.

These students are going to stay with American families for one academic year. US State Department (Bureau of Cultural Affairs) has funded the programme under the auspices of its Youth Exchange and Study (YES) programme.

The minister said that the exchange programme would help the two countries bridge the distances responsible for the impression that Muslims hated Americans and vice versa. “We want this impression to go away,” he added. However, Mr Kanju was critical of a one-way exchange. “Why are the Americans not coming to understand our values?” he asked.

Michael Spangler, US consulate’s principal officer in Peshawar, promised to convey the minister’s feelings to his government. Farah Kamal of the IEARN said that the students had been selected from diverse backgrounds and would be enrolled in a full academic year of high school study. “The YES students will also participate in special enrichment activities, including community service, youth leadership training, a civic education programme and other activities that develop a well-rounded understanding of American culture and its diversity,” she said. staff report

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