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Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Pakistan for addressing root causes of terrorismUNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has called for a comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism that must address the root causes of the menace, including unresolved disputes, poverty and unemployment.
“The causes of terrorism are multiple and need a comprehensive response from the international community. Piecemeal responses will neither address historical injustices nor resolve festering disputes,” Foreign Minister Hina Rabbni Khar told a counter-terrorism forum on Monday.
In her speech, the foreign minister said the fixation on narrow approaches to fight terrorism, either through operational measures alone or solely through legal mechanisms was not helpful.
“The response of the international community has to be long-term and multi-pronged involving dialogue among civilisations, economic development, cultural harmony, dispute resolution, and political settlements,” she told delegates from around the world. “We must do everything possible to offer potential supporters of terrorists hope in the political processes,” Khar said.
“Democratisation and a sense of ownership of political system can help neutralise the violent narrative of terrorists by offering non-violent means for settling differences and disputes. Political upheavals sweeping through various parts of the world today, which are homegrown, have limited the ability of terrorists to reach out to target populations,” she added.
The foreign minister asked why promotion of dialogue and understanding, as a part of counter-terrorism strategy, was not being pursued with the vigour it deserves. “While terrorism has to be fought with unyielding resolve, it is important to avoid moral absolutism. We need to make extraordinary efforts to create a space for promotion of dialogue and understanding. “The way forward is to foster mutual understanding, dialogue, and enlightenment as well as concentrate on countering the appeal of terrorism by the development of human resources, poverty alleviation, education, dispute resolution, and social justice,” she said in conclusion. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk