PESHAWAR: Experts at an international conference on Friday called for initiating and implementing long-term projects and strategies to address extremism in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
The KP Centre of Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism organized the day-long conference.
Former Deputy Speaker of National Assembly Faisal Karim Kundi, Secretary of Higher Education Anila Mahfouz Durrani, Executive Director of Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund from Geneva Khalid Kausar, and former DIG CTD attended the conference as main speakers.
On this occasion, the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, based in Geneva, and the Centre signed an agreement of understanding. In light of worldwide experiences, the agreement aimed to strengthen the Center’s effectiveness and fight extremism.
Anila Durrani, secretary of higher education, said the KP Centre of Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism would serve as a think tank to combat extremism and is the first Center of excellence of its kind in South Asia.
Faisal Karim Kundi, a PPP lawmaker and a former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, stated that climate change and extremism are two major problems that KP is now dealing with. He added that such meetings should be done frequently to combat extremism and advance societal tolerance. “Pakistan must reevaluate its foreign policy towards Afghanistan for regional peace,” he added.
According to Musrat Kadim, this Centre should have been built ten years ago to prevent extremism. She emphasized the crucial and active role that women must play in promoting peace and rejecting radical ideas.
Javed Iqbal, another speaker, claimed that Pakistan had suffered significant losses in terms of infrastructure and human life during the fight against terrorism. He proposed that efforts on other social, political, and economic issues should be made in addition to the fight against terrorism. He claimed that healthy societal activities and constructive thought might counter radical ideologies.
Since political extremism and intolerance are rising in Pakistan, Professor Dr. Usman Ghani, Director of IM Sciences, urged encouraging tolerance and harmony in society.
According to him, the Centre should advise the Higher Education Commission and the Department of Education on how to eliminate extremism in educational institutions. He stated that the syllabus must have at least one chapter on counter-extremism. —APP
