Experts at seminar offer strategy to deal with radicalism in Pakistan

Pakistan is not alone in facing the menace of radicalism and extremism, as several other countries too face similar problems, and are having their own respective measures to contain the scourge, said experts at the conclusion of a two-day seminar on 'Innovating means to resolve radical extremism in Pakistan.' They advised Pakistan to study and follow these role models while tackling the problem in the country.
Organized by a nascent think tank, Center for Pakistan and Gulf Studies (CPGS), in Islamabad, the seminar on Wednesday urged the Pakistan government to establish a Counter Terrorism Strategy (CTS), which will be based on the intensive studies and analyses of the role models that other countries have successful implemented.
In her concluding remarks after the end of the two-day deliberations, CPGS President Sen. Sehar Kamran, said: “The exercise has drawn a comprehensive outline for a national policy toward achieving societal harmony that should be the flag-bearer of future action if so adopted by the political leadership.”
Sen. Sehar Kamran, the recipient of Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, said Pakistan needs a broad base policy over radical extremism and properly required political will and commitment not only on part of government but all segment of society.
The idea to formulate CTS came as “Pakistan doesn’t have a proper counter terrorism policy despite having suffered greatly in the war on terror, both physically and economically,” a final communiqué, issued at the end of the seminar, said. Such a move will get Pakistan rid of the menace for good, the experts observed.
The CPGS on the occasion launched an ambitious project called SALAM, which aims at mobilizing “our national resources to wind-down the menace of radicalization,” according to CPGS Sen. Kamran. “Change can’t be achieved overnight, but it will take a long and consistent effort — perhaps as long as it took to radicalize a peaceful society into a radical one,” she said.
Kamran stressed on a “political will and a comprehensive and well defined policy,” which she said will surely make the change possible.”
Former Joint Chief of Staff Committee Gen (Retd) Ehsanul Haq held those madrassahs responsible that promoted “Jehadi fervor” and squarely blamed Al-Qaeda and Taleban that changed the global security dynamic.

He said Pakistan bore the brunt of its fall out and suffered heavily in the war on terror and causalities has crossed 40,000.
Sen. Mushahid Hussain Syed praised Kamran and stressed for a permanent solution of the radicalism as other countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia and other Western and Gulf countries already adopted.
Others who presented their viewpoints on radicalism included Prof. Dr. Jamil Qalandar, who spoke on ‘Growth of radicalization and its evolution in Pakistan,’ Prof. Dr. Richard Bonney on ‘Western perspective of contemporary radicalism and extremism,’ Dr. Muhammad Ilyas Khan on ‘Islamic perspective of contemporary radicalism’; Prof. Dir Nazir Hussain on ‘Contemporary radical extremism and challenges and way forward,’ Prof. Dr. Tahir Amin on ‘Innovating means to resolve radical extremism-case study of FATA,’ and Ahmer Bilal Soofi Advocate of SC on ‘De-radicalization in Pakistan-legal structure, anomalies and recommendations.’