ISLAMABAD
\nMinister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday demonstrated great commitment to purging the country of extremist and terrorist elements, as the PML-N government had successfully done in the past.
\n\u201cAs a result of a lack of continuity in policies, we saw the reemergence of these networks [of terrorism]. . . The policy [during the PTI tenure] adopted of taking back some elements from Afghanistan has again posed a challenge, but now the PML-N government is determined to fight, defeat and eliminate them like we did before,\u201d he said.
\nThe minister expressed these views while speaking at the inaugural session of a daylong international conference on \u2018Countering Terrorism in Pakistan: Progress and the Path Forward,\u2019 organized by Bahria University in collaboration with the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) here.
\nAddressing the conference participants, the minister said the fight against terrorism was far from over, as several key challenges continued to impede the national path to peace and stability.
\n\u201cTerrorism is no longer confined to insurgencies or large militant groups. The rise of lone wolf attacks, along with cyber radicalization and the use of social media for extremist recruitment, have transformed the landscape,\u201d he said.
\nAhsan Iqbal said a recent report showed that 80 percent of terrorist organizations now use digital platforms to recruit, communicate and radicalize individuals. \u201cThis presents a new front in the fight against terrorism, requiring us to invest in cybersecurity and digital literacy.\u201d
\nIn a message to the youth, the minister advised them to become aware of the potential dangers of the present times, specifically \u2018misinformation.\u2019 He mentioned that the World Economic Forum (WEF) had recently declared \u2018misinformation\u2019 the biggest risk the world was confronting in the modern era of digitalization.
\nHe described fake news and misinformation as \u2018a new weapon\u2019 for destabilization, creating chaos and fanning extremist ideologies in society, adding, \u201cWe have to guard against misinformation.\u201d
\nThe minister emphasized that not everything that appeared on social media could be taken as truth and that youth must develop the cognitive ability to verify the authenticity of the information they receive.
\n\u201cNow, data analytics with social media have become a very lethal weapon. You can be manipulated without knowing who is manipulating you and in which direction.\u201d He said any message that fostered hate must be rejected, as it was the starting point of extremism that could lead to terrorism. \u201cThis goes full cycle.\u201d
\nRecalling a conference on terrorism he attended in France, the minister shared that a German professor viewed humans as the best forms of creation saying, \u201cIf two viruses, i.e., hate and prejudice, are injected into the human computers, the human mind loses its rationality and turns individuals into beasts that see the world through the lens of their own bias.\u201d
\nAhsan Iqbal said if minds become tinted with hate and prejudice, individuals began to see the world colored through the prism of their own biases, emphasizing, \u201cSo it is very important that if we are to maintain our rationality and sobriety, we must not let these viruses enter our minds.\u201d The minister noted that military and law enforcement actions remained crucial, but alone were insufficient on their own. He stressed the need to go beyond the battlefield to counter terrorism by addressing the root causes of extremism, building societal resilience, and preventing future radicalization.
\n\u201cAs outlined in the national internal security policy, the battle against extremism and terrorism must be fought in the ideological domain. We need to invest in curriculum reforms that promote critical thinking, tolerance, and pluralism,\u201d he added.
\nHe also emphasized the importance of recognizing community-based counter-terrorism strategies, adding, \u201cLocal communities and religious leaders must be empowered to counter radicalization at the grassroots level.
\nThe use of mosques, schools and media to promote messages of peace, tolerance and national unity is critical.\u201dHe mentioned that programs like Paigham-e-Pakistan serve as powerful tools in this regard, providing a platform for Islamic scholars to condemn extremism and terrorism.
\nThe minister suggested measures for the rehabilitation and reintegration of \u2018former extremists,\u2019 advocating for their transformation into useful members of society through vocational training after psychological counseling. He also called for strengthening cybersecurity infrastructure and training law enforcement personnel to counter cyber radicalization using modern techniques.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday demonstrated great commitment to purging the country of extremist and terrorist elements, as the PML-N government had successfully done in the past. \u201cAs a result of a lack of continuity in policies, we saw the reemergence of these networks [of terrorism]. . […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":428901,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-433416","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-national"},"yoast_head":"\n