British Government ad campaign to target extremism in Pakistan

London, Feb 10 (ANI): The British Government is recruiting prominent Muslim citizens in the country to feature in an advertisement asking Pakistanis to desist from supporting extremist activities.

The three-month public relations offensive, called "I Am the West", consists of television commercials and high-profile events in regions such as Peshawar and Mirpur.

It is being funded by the Foreign Office, which is paying up to 400,000 pounds for a pilot project, The Guardian reported.

Starring in the first three advertisements are Sadiq Khan, the Communities Minister, Jehangir Malik, the UK manager of Islamic Relief, English cricketer Moeen Ali and the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Chaudry Abdul Rashid, who is from Mirpur.

According to a project synopsis, the target audience is 15-25-year-old males who are less than well-educated and worldly wise, but potentially susceptible to extremist doctrines. If successful, it will be implemented in Egypt, Yemen and Indonesia.

The pilot involves nine 30-second television commercials, supported by radio commercials, scheduled across a number of channels, including PTV, Geo TV and Khyber, which is specific to the Peshwari area. They are due to appear on Pakistani TV screens next Monday.

The central theme of "I Am the West" is to assert that there is no contradiction in being a Muslim and being British. (ANI)