Kaira calls for changing mindset to eradicate terrorism

Federal Minister for Information, Qamar Zaman Kaira has called for changing the mindset to eradicate the menace of terrorism and emphasized the need for collective efforts by all sections of society to win it.Addressing a press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday, the Federal Information Minister said this mindset of extremism has evolved over a period of three decades and this thinking can be changed through sustainable and collective struggle by the whole nation.Kaira said the country is passing through a critical phase and every segment of society including media has to work together for meeting the national challenges including scourge of terrorism.He said the entire nation stands like an iron wall against these elements are trying to destabilize our country. He said government with active support of people will soon win this war. The information minister said the security forces have dismantled the extremist elements and now only the splinter groups remain and they are carrying out terrorist acts and even targeting innocent people. However, he continued, these handful terrorists will soon be eliminated from our soil.Qamar Zaman Kaira strongly condemned the recent suicide attack at Peshawar Press Club and expressed sympathies with the members of the families of victims. He said journalist community has now been targeted by these anti-state elements for working to mould public opinion against terrorists and extremism. He said these cowardly acts have been committed to discourage newsmen for continuing their struggle aimed at apprising masses of real motives of terrorists.He lauded the courage of journalists of Peshawar for performing their duty in dangerous conditions and added that NWFP is the main target of countrys ongoing war against terrorism. Qamar Zaman Kaira appreciated the spirit and high morale of people of Peshawar in the current critical situation and suggested that Peshawar be called the City of Patience.The Information Minister said government would soon launch special training programmes for newsmen on conflict reporting. Similarly, he added, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has launched Journalists Victim Fund for compensating those journalists who fall victim to terrorism. Qamar Zaman Kaira said the government believes in addressing core issues instead of ignoring them and it will continue to work for stronger federation which can be achieved only through empowering federating units.He said the government in order to strengthen the country has surrendered its share of Rs. 225 billion to provinces under Seventh NFC Award. Earlier, the Federal Minister laid a floral wreath at the monument of martyrs at Peshawar Press Club to express his solidarity with the victims. He also offered fateha for the deceased and expressed solidarity with journalist community.The Federal Minister presented a cheque for Rs. two hundred thousand for the family of senior journalist Sohail Qalandar who recently died.