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| India-Pakistan |
| President for reforms in Madrassas to win ideological battle |
| 2009-06-02 |
| [Geo News] President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday said the war against militancy is a total war and each and every section of the society must rise to the occasion to "defeat the mindset that creates and nurtures militancy". President Zardari alongwith Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani was presiding over a high level meeting here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr today to review the law and order situation. The meeting was attended by the Federal Ministers for Information, Interior, Provincial Chief Ministers, Governor NWFP, Army Chief, the Chiefs of Intelligence Agencies, Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Executive of Northern Areas, the Chief Secretaries and IGPs of all the provinces, Secretary General and senior officers of the relevant ministries of the federal government. Talking to the media about the meeting Spokesperson to the President former Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the President expressed satisfaction over the success achieved in the war and said that the day was not far when militants would be so crippled that they will pose no threat to the people and the country. He said that half of the war was to subdue and defeat the militants militarily and half of the war was to win the hearts and minds of the internally displaced persons. The President said that the international community was more than willing to help Pakistan as was demonstrated in the recent meetings of the `Friends of Democratic Pakistan' and leaders and lawmakers of the US, Britain, and France during his recent visit to these countries. He said the people of Pakistan also, through the political parties, supported the ongoing operation against the militants in Swat, Malakand and other areas as has been demonstrated by the unanimous resolution adopted by the Parliament against militancy and the decisions of recently held All Parties Conference by the Prime Minister. The combination of favourable domestic public opinion and the willingness of the international community to help had placed in the hands of government a great opportunity to eliminate the militants, mindset once and for all, the President observed. President Zardari said that the nation cannot afford to lose this war for the sake of its own survival. He said that while the government was determined to pursue fight to the finish, it was also working on a plan to strengthen the capacity of law enforcing agencies to win this war. The President advised the government to step up implementation of the plan to strengthen law-enforcing agencies. The will to fight must be strengthened with the capacity to fight, he said. The President also underlined the need for strengthening the prosecution so as to bring the militants and criminals to speedy and efficient justice within the bounds of the existing legal frame-work and laws. President Zardari said that the present fight against militants was also for the fight of ideas and "for wining this battle of ideas we need to carry out necessary reforms in the education system particularly in the Madrassa education so as to produce tolerant, moderate and forward looking youth who naturally detested militancy, extremism and intolerance". The President also praised Armed Forces and the law enforcement agencies for the courageous fight they had put up against militants and for sacrifices they had made in the cause. He also praised the Prime Minister and the government for taking the militants head on. The President said that an exit strategy with clear objectives be also devised that enabled the civil administration to take over the administration of the areas where the writ of the government had been established and from where the militants had been driven out. |
| Posted by:Fred |