Pakistan Contribution to combat Terrorism must be acknowledged, says Senator Mushahid

Date : 09-09-2015

Islamabad,Sep 9: Chairman, Senate Defence Committee, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed has said that in the today's world, the threat of terrorism and violent extremism is real, and needed to be dealt at various levels, including national, regional and global. He was addressing an international seminar titled "Countering Violent Extremism: Global Action Plan" as chief guest, here on Wednesday.

"The United States focuses on Al-Qaeda or Daesh, Israel blames on Hamas, and Hizbullah for 'fomenting terrorism' and India for linking all violence in South Asia to what it calls 'Pakistan-based terrorists'," he said, regretting that the impression of terrorism and violent extremism, being created by West, is linking only to radical Islam or extremist groups in the Muslim World. He further said that none of above mentioned states refers to concrete policies, political issues, inter-societal complexities, or prejudice to address the root causes of violent extremism.

Mentioning the way forward for an effective counter violent extremism strategy, he emphasized the need to identify the root causes of victim hood, alienation and anger, and seek their speedy and just resolution, especially related to Kashmir in South Asia, and Palestine in the Middle East. Secondly, Islamophobia must be treated as a crime similar to denying the Holocaust in Europe, he said Thirdly, he urged that best practices to be developed and followed universally on promoting a counter-narrative regarding terrorism/violent extremism, delinked from demonisation of Islam or any other religion/race/ethnic group/country.

"Pakistan has contributed significantly to stamping out terrorism/violent extremism in South Asia by helping the government of Sri Lanka in the fight against LTTE.
Pakistan is helping to broker the peace process in Afghanistan, by bringing all sides to the conference table," Senator Mushahid said, while urging to acknowledge the contribution of Pakistan for combating terrorism.

For the Islamic World, Senator Mushahid was of the view that narrow-based, self-serving and self-perpetuating Muslim regimes must bridge the gap between the Elite and the Street, by promoting political, economic and civil rights to their own populations.