Senator Farhatullah Babar has said that essential ingredient for developing national narrative for fighting militancy is intellectual infrastructure which is not possible without free debate and freedom of expression. "With curbs being imposed on freedom of expression in the name of national security, we are uprooting the very foundations of the intellectual edifice needed to building counter narrative," he further said.
He said this while addressing the launching ceremony of 'Inclusive Pakistan,' a publication of the Pak Institute for Peace Studies, held here at Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services on Thursday evening. Building a counter-militancy narrative sans freedom of expression is an illusion, he said. Developing a counter-narrative also requires an end to political exclusivity and mainstreaming the politically marginalised areas like the tribal areas. "It is unfortunate that at a time when we are seeking to build counterterrorism narrative, the government has rolled back FATA reforms process," he said.
Even if a counter alternate narrative were developed, it will still be open to question whether it will work in a country where the person apparently sitting on the driving seat is not the actual driver, he said. He said proscribed organisations like Jaish-e-Muhammad and its leader Masood Azhar are protected against UN action, militants like Asmatullah Muavia roam free and banned outfits have reared their ugly heads under different names. With a reality like this how can one be sure of the success of the counter-narrative even if one are developed for fighting militancy, he asked.
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