Hong Kong Home Affairs Bureau and Metro Plus will jointly launch two new radio programs -- Harmo Sagarmatha in Nepali and Hong Kong-Pak Tonight in Urdu, language of the Pakistanis -- from Saturday.

The programs are mainly entertainment, with music as an important element.

News, sports, local customs and lifestyles in Hong Kong are also covered and local personalities from ethnic communities are invited to talk about their

cultural heritage and social inclusion, according to a government press release Friday.

"The programs are among the government initiatives to enhance the ethnic minorities' sense of belonging to Hong Kong, while retaining their own cultural identities," a bureau spokesperson said Friday. An equally important objective is to promote the value of multi-culturalism in Hong Kong.

Starting from Saturday, 13 episodes of Hong Kong-Pak Tonight will be broadcast on Metro Plus AM1044 every Saturday from 8:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Harmo Sagarmatha will air on the same station for 13 consecutive Mondays starting from Nov. 22 from 8:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

"The name of the Nepali program 'Harmo Sagarmatha' literally means 'our Mount Everest' in Nepali," the spokesperson said. Mount Everest is divided between Nepal and China and the border between the two countries runs across Mount Everest right through the summit.

"Taking this as an analogy, many Nepalese in Hong Kong regard themselves as belonging equally to the local Chinese and Nepalese cultures. It is for this reason that we have chosen this title," the spokesperson said.

Two well-experienced presenters, Abid Ali Baig and Pushpa KumarRai, will individually host the programs.

Source: Xinhua