Terrorists getting funds from foreign forces: minister

[Naveed Yaseen]

Noor Aftab
Terrorists are getting funds from foreign forces, which have been constantly trying to destabilise Pakistan, Minister for Religious Affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi said here on Monday.

He was addressing a two-day international seminar on ‘Countering Extremism: Strategies and Sharing Best Practices,’ organised by the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS) in collaboration with the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies (DSS), Quaid-i-Azam University.

“We had never heard of Osama and Al-Qaeda. It was the United States that announced these names internationally, so it must have better information about them than us,” he said. Referring to Nizam-e-Adl Regulation, he said, some elements, cashing in on the demand of the people for their own benefits, were not expecting this step, so after signing of this regulation by the president these elements are now backing out of their words.

“We have not introduced Nizam-e-Adl Regulation on the pressure of any group as it has been the longstanding demand of the local people,” he said. Shabana Fayyaz, assistant professor at Quaid-i-Azam University, gave a presentation on ‘State Response towards the Challenge of Extremism and Terrorism.’ In her presentation, she said, the state needs to adopt the role of a regulator and an engine for transformation, revision and rethinking of the security dynamics at the micro and macro level.

“The policy-makers face a critical challenge to craft and enforce a holistic approach towards the issue of extremism and terrorism,” she said. Shabana said there is a dire need to move away from the piecemeal and reactionary approach on the issue of radicalisation in the country.

She said extremism of human mind leading to terrorism needs to be contextualise to help connect important components including strategic position, strategic choices and strategy into action.

Pakistan lacks both expertise and technological resources to rein in the forces of radical elements, she said. Adam Dolnik, director (research programmes) at the University of Wollongong (Australia), said that terrorism can be better removed by elimination of leadership and foiling efforts to hand down this tendency to the next generation.

He said there is a need to systematically understand the dynamic lifecycle of terrorism that has its political and socio-economic effects on society.

Naveed Shirwani, director of the Community Appraisal and Motivation Programme, said that there are various factors that have been affecting the efforts to combat terrorism in Fata, including absence of social justice, dysfunctional judicial system, weak governance and drone attacks.

Shagufta Hayat said that there are various countries that have been following effective strategies to combat extremism, including Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Yemen and Egypt.

Dr. Ishtiaq Ahmad, giving a presentation on ‘A Comparison and Prescription to Deligitimise Radicalism,’ said that things started going wrong soon after the death of the founder of the nation, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

PIPS Director Muhammad Amir Rana said that no clear-cut roadmap has so far been prepared for elimination of terrorism from the country. He said the government has even failed on judicial front as no terrorist was ever awarded any kind of punishment.

Dr. Syed Riffat Hussain, chairman of the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, in his welcome address, said Pakistan is passing through a critical phase of political evolution that needs concerted efforts to cope with the ongoing situation.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=175949