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Sunday, June 26, 2011
Zardari calls for global effort against terrorism
* President vows not to let terrorists succeed
* Says respect for sovereignty of states must be basic principle of war on terrorTEHRAN: President Asif Ali Zardari, on Saturday, while vowing not to let terrorists succeed, called for collective global efforts to counter the growing threat of terrorism.
Addressing an international conference on “Global Fight Against Terrorism”, the president termed terrorism a “mindset” that promoted violence and intolerance, and called for fighting it by giving the people hope.
President Zardari pointed out that law enforcement measures helped contain the problem temporarily, and said long-term solutions must address political, economic and social aspects of the menace. “The way to permanently defeat terrorism is to remove the fear and instability on which it thrives.” The president said the way to defeat terrorism was to provide jobs, education and healthcare for all. “The way to win this war is to give hope to our people in the future,” he said, and warned that “violence begets violence”.
“All must avoid senseless use of force ... ensure respect for the rule of law and due process.” Zardari said that respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of states must be the basic principle of fight against terrorism. “Pakistan supports the idea of a counter narrative to win the battle for hearts and minds. It is only by defeating terrorists on the ideological front that victory could be achieved,” he averred. President Zardari, who is in Tehran on a two-day visit for the conference, said, “We cannot allow terrorists to prevail”, and recalled that his late wife Benazir Bhutto was also a victim of terrorism.
“Terrorism is the disease of the mind that preaches intolerance and violence. Terrorists violate both human and divine values by inflicting death and destruction on fellow human beings. They have no religion,” he added.
The president described terrorism as “an evil”, saying it must not be associated with any race, faith, value system, culture or society. He rejected the “unjustified use” of terms like “Islamic terrorism”, and said “it hurts the sensibilities of more than a billion Muslims”.
He said Islam is a religion of peace and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) pardoned his worst enemies at the time of victory in Makkah. “We are the torchbearers of this noble tradition of peace and harmony,” the president said, adding that Pakistan was pursuing the struggle against terrorism with commitment and clarity. “We have firmly resolved to succeed. Our forces are in the trenches, the very front lines, in the great battle of the 21st century.” President Zardari also called on the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei, and discussed with him various challenges faced by the Muslim Ummah and the need to bring unity in their ranks to effectively tackle the problems.
During the meeting held in Tehran on the sidelines of the conference, Zardari and the supreme leader also exchanged views on bilateral, regional and global issues of concern besides the fight against terrorism and the enhanced bilateral cooperation between Iran and Pakistan.
Those who were present during the meeting included president’s daughter Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Petroleum Minister Dr Asim Hussain, Pakistan’s Ambassador in Iran Khalid Aziz Babar and spokesperson to the president Farhatullah Babar. Iranian President Ahmadinejad was also present. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk