Da Pulay Poray is an expression of faith in the belief that local journalists - when communicating within an open, diverse, and vibrant independent media sector - can play a vital role in their communities by reporting accurately and responsibly in areas plagued by violence and conflict. To this end, Internews began by training dozens of energetic, committed reporters from Pakistan and Afghanistan in radio journalism and production, and works with a core team of 30 reporters and stringers.

The programme covers a range of issues of importance to the local population, and emphasises co-operation, harmony, and peaceful co-existence between people on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border. Internews claims that "[i]t is one of the first to address women's issues – using women journalists – in an extremely conservative region." Included in the women's issues covered are the following: the psychological and health consequences of the practice of giving girls in marriage without their consent to end disputes or to pay off debts; the way in which the stigma about women going out in public prevents them from getting medical care; and gender differences in the way Muslims celebrate the festival of Eid at the end of Ramadan (The frustration of women is explained through the following, from a woman named Fauzia: "What sort of Eid are women going to have?....Even on Eid day, they have lots of [house]work. Men don't say anything to help. There is no custom enabling us to go anywhere and make our own celebrations.") Other topics dealt with include: whether primary education should be made compulsory for both boys and girls; what assistance the farmers in eastern Afghanistan require to find alternatives to growing opium; how personal feuds caused by trivial matters in the border areas lead to needless loss of life; and how the feuds might be ended, along with the burning of houses and other punishments in the Pakistan tribal areas.

Participation is part of an information-sharing strategy that involves specific efforts to ensure local relevance and resonance. In the words of Project Director John Butt, "highlighting ills in society through the eyes of ordinary people, and letting the same people suggest solutions to their problems - is a way to increase tolerance and understanding in the region." In addition, Da Pulay Poray incorporates traditional means of communication in its coverage of modern problems. Musicians perform original music on traditional instruments to reinforce the themes of reports, while presenters incorporate verses from the Koran, and frequently interview tribal elders for their perspectives. (Click here to listen to audio samples of the music and the programmes, and to read the English transcripts.) "Pearls of Culture" winds up the programme, and features interviews with traditional and contemporary artists and musicians such as Nazia Iqbal, a female singer from the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan who, according to Internews, has achieved enormous popularity in Afghanistan.

Another feature that has been incorporated into Da Pulay Poray is a series of reports on the electoral process in Afghanistan prior to parliamentary elections. Among the topics dealt with have been whether the elections should be party- or non-party based, how refugees living in Pakistan will be able to vote in the parliamentary elections, and whether Afghans would like religious figures or laymen to stand for election.

Conflict, Women, Gender, Democracy and Governance.

According to organisers, the Da Pulay Poray reporters are so dedicated to the programme that, when the grant funding ran out in March 2007, the staff decided to continue producing the programme on a volunteer basis, dipping into their own personal savings to cover their expenses because, in the words of one producer "if, God forbid, this program stops, then the voice of the people will stop."