Terrorism cannot be addressed through administrative measures: President
The president said extremism and resultant terrorism were not simple problems.
ISLAMABAD (APP):President Mamnoon Hussain Wednesday said as the complex issue of terrorism could not be addressed through administrative measures or mere use of force, it was imperative to thoroughly examine the situation in affected area and its surroundings.
“Along with this, efforts should be made to deal with this issue after considering the problem through an objective and careful analysis of the political, social and religious aspects of the society,” he said while speaking at a dinner hosted for delegates of the first Islamabad International Counter Terrorism Forum (IICTF) organized by National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA).
The president said extremism and resultant terrorism were not simple problems. “There are very intricate political, social and psychological factors behind it. Therefore, it would not be correct to think that such issues can be resolved by few administrative measures and mere use of force.”
Referring to the war against terrorism and the lead role of Pakistan to fight this menace, the president said the situation in the region changed so rapidly that there was not enough time to develop a proper strategy to cope with it.
“I am proud that the Pakistani nation and our institutions have performed remarkably in these extreme emergencies. In these difficult circumstances, the nation has brought forward its narrative on these issues while practical measures including Operation Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad have also been taken,” he added.
The president said there was no doubt that it was a challenging period, which had been faced with unprecedented courage and commitments. “This success story will always be remembered in the history of mankind,” he added.
He, however, maintained that after achieving success by facing the challenges bravely, it was very important to maintain this success and prevent such situations in future.
“In my view, this conference is also part of the same process. It will provide vast opportunities of consultation and interaction to the internal security experts,” he added.
“As far as we are concerned, we must learn from this experience that complete harmony among all schools of thought, state institutions and different segments of society is imperative to cope with extremism resulting from ideological extremes and its diverse impacts. If there are any shortcomings in this regard, they will create loopholes which can be exploited by the enemy,” he stressed.
The president said the second lesson for them was to cautiously examine the social discrimination, class differences and system of education in order to identify the elements which pave the way for such circumstances. “This is the best possible way to avoid such bitter experiences in future,” he added.
He said comprehensiveness of the topics discussed during the conference and participation of various experts, scholars and intellectuals in it was highly commendable.
“I think that taking advantage from this opportunity you will bring forward useful suggestions which will contribute in saving the international community from this menace,” he added.
The president said while considering the issues, situation in various parts of the country especially urban centres must be kept in view where miscreants had promoted organized crimes.
“The conditions worsened to an extent that even foreign enemies got the opportunity to take advantage from it. These circumstances adversely affected our major economic centres while our social and political life was also impaired,” he added.
The president said in order to address the challenges, it was necessary that non-traditional approach should be followed to introduce effective reforms in the fields of education, healthcare, economy and employment. If required, laws should be made more effective by introducing necessary amendments, he added.
Likewise, the president said, the strength of law enforcement agencies should also be increased apart from improving their capacity in order to overcome the antisocial elements.
“I consider this as task of national reconstruction. I am confident that the discussions during the different sittings of this conference will open up new avenues of analyzing these issues,” he added.
Minister for Interior Ahsan Iqbal, in his remarks on the occasion, said it was the first ever international forum on the subject, and was being attended by experts and delegates from different countries.
He hoped that the forum would provide an opportunity to Pakistani as well as foreign delegates and experts to discuss the issue in detail and share their respective experiences of countering terrorism, which was a global phenomenon.
Lt Gen (R) Nasser Khan Janjua, National Security Adviser and Ihsan Ghani, National Coordinator NACTA were also present.
