Biggest challenge: Kaira urges war on extremist mindset

Says world powers created modern extremism to thwart Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

ISLAMABAD:

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira said on Tuesday that derailment of democracy and imposition of dictatorial rulers on the nation resulted in stagnation of society which led to extremism.

While addressing a seminar on “Terrorism: reasons, consequences and its remedies” the minister said that the entire nation will have to fight the extremist organisations and the mindset.

He said extremism is the biggest challenge confronting the nation and conscious efforts will have to be made to reverse the tide.

The minister pointed out that extremism is not a recent phenomenon as its foundations were laid by world powers after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. At that time sustained efforts were made to use religion as a weapon and to change culture, syllabus and psyche of the nation.

Kaira said that the government or security agencies alone cannot eliminate the threat and the entire nation will have to stand against the extremists.

To a question the information minister said it would not be fair to link terrorism to particular area or region of the country. He said terrorism has no religion and instead it is a mindset. Regarding attacks on minorities, he said terrorists are enemies of entire humanity and even Muslims were not spared by them.

He said that the government was ready to hold talks with angryBaloch leaders and Taliban but no talks will be held at gunpoint.

The minister said that democracy was only way to improve things and extremists were facing isolation and with the continuity of democracy they will be completely eliminated. 

Published in The Express Tribune, September 12^th, 2012.