The country's internal stability is a must for countering the terrorism and improving Pakistan's image in the West. Speakers said this in a discussion 'Pakistan, Terrorism and the International Perspective' organised by the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), here on Monday.
They also said that Pakistan government should make the people realise that terrorism is a major problem confronting country and it is in country's own interest to root out it.
Speaking on the occasion defence and political analyst Dr Hasan Askari Rizvi said that Pakistan had to decide that it should be a nation state or an Islamic movement. "Pakistan can't be an Islamic movement and a Nation State. It has to adopt one thing at a time. If the both things go side by side then Pakistan will be no more be Pakistan it will become Somalia or Rwanda," he said. Political and social polarisation should be declined for the prosperity in the country.
Former foreign secretary Shamshad Ahmad said that terrorism was not associated with some specific religion or society. "Terrorism is the problem of the entire world. It's a 'faceless enemy'", he said. He said there was a 'definitional deadlock' on establishing that whether or not the 'right of self-determination' was also terrorism.
He said that Pakistan was internally not so stable so it succumbed to the external pressure in making its decisions. He termed the United Nations (UN) an organisation that just passed the resolutions and wasted papers.
Dr Farzana Shaikh, South Asian expert at Chatham House UK, said that terrorism needed to be differentiated from the political violence. "Terrorism is the indiscriminate use of violence against civilians whereas political violence is often more focused we some political aims," she maintained. She said that General Pervez Musharraf after 9/11 decided to stand by with the US because he feared that if Pakistan did not do so, US-India relations would strengthen dragging Pakistan behind. "This is what General told his core commanders at that time," she claimed. She said that Pakistan's image of just being a pro-US state was damaging for it.
New Zealand Parliament Member Dr Ashraf Chaudhry said that people should be educated and made aware of religious values at high school and varsities to help countering the issue of terrorism.
Professor and Director, Center for Public Policy and Governance Forman Christian College (FCC) and Adjunct Professor at Columbia University Dr Saeed Shafqat said that one of the biggest challenges confronting to Pakistan was that how should it be de-weaponsied. He said that there were three school of thoughts in the country. "There are those who believe that Pakistan could survive only if it sticks by Islamic Shariya. Second one are those who believe in tolerance and democracy, and whose voice is being heard now.