MKRF Initiative: Regional Peace
Campaign: Aman ki Asha – changing mindsets
Date: 1 January 2010 – December, 2013
The Aman ki Asha (Hope for Peace) campaign was initiated by the Jang Group in partnership with the Times of India. The Aman ki Asha campaign has also been the most intense and extensive media campaign on any single subject in the last 60 years and the most serious attempt at facilitating peace between India and Pakistan. It is also the first time ever that media in both countries have jointly campaigned for peace.
The concept of peace is a romantic notion and so, as expected, Aman ki Asha captured the imagination of the overwhelming majority of the people of the two countries. But Aman ki Asha has delivered quantifiable results at the practical level too.
74% of Indians expressed a desire for peaceful relations with Pakistan 12 month into the campaign compared to 50% before launch.
People in both countries expressed overwhelming support for the Aman ki Asha campaign and wanted it to continue. 92% of the people surveyed in Pakistan recalled the Aman ki Asha campaign (as against 4% recall of all other government and non-government campaigns).
87% in Pakistan and 74% in India felt that Aman ki Asha had helped create greater awareness about the issues between India and Pakistan; 85% in Pakistan and 61% in India felt that Aman ki Asha had successfully communicated to both governments the people’s desire for peace.