Terrorism undermining security, economic growth: Zardari

The terrorism and extremism are undermining the security and economic growth of the country and it is need of the hour to make united efforts to defeat the elements involved in these heinous crimes, said President Asif Ali Zardari here on Saturday.
"Pakistan is facing serious challenges of extremism and militancy that are undermining our national interests and security and there is a dire need to forge unity to address these challenges," the President said while talking to a delegation of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) led by its Chairman Professor Dr Muhammad Khalid Masud, at Aiwan e Sadr.
The President said that there is an urgent need to educate the people about true Islamic concepts on various contemporary issues and to make those understand the true spirit of Islam who are spreading misconceptions about our noble religion. Islam is religion of peace and harmony and we need to project Islam in its true spirit and as a religion of peace, tolerance and magnanimity. We have to work for ending the stagnation in thought. We have to rekindle the hopes for progress and prosperity of the Muslim masses".
Speaking on the occasion, Chairman of the CII Professor Dr Muhammad Khalid Masud briefed the President about the origin and working of the Council. He said that CII was a constitutional body tasked to give advice to Parliament or a provincial assembly on any question referred to it as to whether a proposed law was consistent with the injunctions of Islam.
The Council, he said, was also tasked to make recommendations for bringing existing laws into conformity with the injunctions of Islam and the stage by which such laws should be brought into effect. He said that since 1962 the Council had submitted 72 reports to the Parliament.
Syed Hamid Saeed Kazmi, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Religious Affairs, Naguib Ullah Malik, Secretary Religious Affairs, Dr Muhammad Khalid Masud, Chairman CII, Justice Dr Rashid Ahmad Jalandhri, Maulana Abdul Khilji, Dr Manzoor Ahmad, Dr Faiz Bilquees, former justice Dr Munir Ahmad Mughal, Dr Mohsin Muzaffar Naqvi, Riazur Rehman, Secretary CII and Dr Syed Nasir Zaidi, DG CII were also present in the meeting.