\u201cIn the 90s, teachers were appointed to preach extremism,\u201d information minister says
\n ISLAMABAD
\nMinister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Thursday said it is schools and colleges that are the major reason behind extremism, not madressahs, as is the popular belief.
\n\u201cIn the 90s, teachers were appointed to preach extremism,\u201d the information minister said, while addressing the launching ceremony of \u201cCharter of Peace\u201d, organised by Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies.
\nChaudhry said the state and government are \u201cnot fully prepared\u201d to deal with extremism, adding that they had to \u201ctake a step back\u201d while dealing with the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).
\nThe TLP held violent protests in the country last month following which, on October 31, the government and the party reached a secret accord, within a few days of which the party was de-proscribed and its chief, Saad Rizvi, was released.
\nThe information minister said the country faces \u201cno danger from America or Europe\u201d. Pakistan faces \u201cthe biggest danger from within\u201d, he said.
\nChaudhry lamented that the menace of extremism is one that could isolate and destroy a country, and unfortunately, Pakistan \u201cwas pushed\u201d towards it for political and foreign policy reasons.
\nHe noted that a person is labelled a \u201cnonbeliever\u201d if their views differ from the prevalent thought pattern found in society. \u201cIslam teaches balance and peace. The teachings of Islam or any other religion are not the issue, the only issue is their interpretation.\u201d
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\n\u2018When writ of state ends, extremist elements begin to hold sway\u2019
\nShedding light on other matters, he said \u201cwe have destroyed our policing and administrative system\u201d and have not even found an alternative for it.
\n\u201cIf you cannot even save the lives of the people, how will you create a soft image? A state which cannot establish its writ for a prolonged period cannot survive for long.\u201d
\nThe information minister noted that when the writ of the state ends, extremist elements begin to hold sway. He added that upholding the law is crucial to bringing a positive change in society.
\nChaudhry, lamenting that the institutions of numberdar, chowkidar and, thanedar had been \u201cdestroyed\u201d, said the people\u2019s lives cannot be saved unless the law is upheld.
\n\u201cThe state\u2019s only duty is to enforce the law. The existence of a state which cannot enforce the law will come into question, which will later lead to civil war,\u201d the information minister said.
\nHe noted that in case of a civil war, the state\u2019s control would continue to diminish and \u201cgroups\u201d will take over.
\nChaudhry said that to root out extremism, the narrative surrounding it would have to be changed. The information minister said having an extremist point of view was not an issue, as people can have differing views \u2014 and no one could stop a person from thinking in such a manner.
\n\u201cBut, such a person cannot be allowed to attack the government with Kalashnikovs […] having a different point of view and imposing it on others are two different things,\u201d he said.
\nThe information minister said the state should ensure that no group has the \u201cright to violence\u201d so that diverse thinking can co-exist in society.
\n\u201cWhen the state becomes weak, extremist groups become strong. When this happens and they ask the state that it will not follow a view other than theirs, then this is when we have a problem,\u201d he said.
\nTill the state does not guarantee the rule of law and successfully establish its writ, it cannot bring \u201csoft change\u201d, he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cIn the 90s, teachers were appointed to preach extremism,\u201d information minister says ISLAMABAD Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Thursday said it is schools and colleges that are the major reason behind extremism, not madressahs, as is the popular belief. \u201cIn the 90s, teachers were appointed to preach extremism,\u201d the information minister said, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":228133,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[264,262,261,263],"class_list":{"0":"post-228108","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news","8":"tag-colleges","9":"tag-extremism","10":"tag-fawad-chaudhry","11":"tag-schools"},"yoast_head":"\n