‘Interfaith debate can help defeat extremism’

Pakistan, EU affirm that terrorism should not be associated with any religion

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the European Union (EU) have agreed on the importance of inter-religious dialogue to promote tolerance and harmony amid the rising tide of Islamophobia in the West particularly after the attack on the French satirical magazine last month.

The two sides also reaffirmed that terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilisation or ethnic group, according to the Foreign office statement issued on Tuesday after Pakistan-EU counter-terrorism dialogue.

The Pakistani delegation was led by Additional Secretary (UN&EC) Tasnim Aslam while the EU team was headed by Mara Marinaki, managing director for multilateral issues, and European External Action Service (EEAS).

Both the sides discussed the challenge posed by terrorism to all parts of the world and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen international cooperation to prevent and combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, it also said.

They also expressed their strong and unequivocal condemnation of recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan, the EU member states and the rest of the world and exchanged views on the steps being taken by both sides to address the threat posed by terrorism.

The two sides also shared views on the ongoing EU-Pakistan cooperation on issues pertaining to counter-terrorism and agreed to explore ways to strengthen this relationship including at the multilateral fora, in particular at the United Nations.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th, 2015.