Speakers at a seminar organised by Information & Culture Department Punjab on the topic of 'Terrorism and our National Resolve' said the brave Pakistani nation was determined to eliminate terrorists of all sorts with courage.
President Jazba Foundation and former Governor Punjab Lieutenant/ General Khalid Maqbool (Retd) in his key address said that war against terrorism should not be considered as a war between Islam and liberalism as some terrorists were using the name of Islam only for the achievement of their selfish interests. He said "Islam is a religion of peace and harmony and lays stress on the welfare of all segments of the society especially poor and the weaker segments. This should be the narrative and sincere leadership is required to impress this fact on the world."
He said it was a matter of satisfaction that Pakistani nation had started to move in the right direction. The terrorists can be faced only through courage and bravery and not merely lamenting the bloodshed of children. He said "Islam is not a weak religion otherwise it would not have been spreading so fast the world over. Islam and Pakistani culture are very strong and if justice and equal opportunities of progress are provided every citizen will contribute towards war against terrorism."
He said it was a matter of satisfaction that Ulema were now ready to go to any extent for the elimination of terrorism and that was a positive change. The respect of religious seminaries should not be compromised in the war against terrorism as no political leader had the courage to disperse the protest rally of one million students of religious seminaries.
He said there was a need for capacity building of law enforcement agencies as the war against terrorism had reached streets and Muhallahs. Similarly, he said the right of every citizen to live with honour and dignity should be ensured in Pakistan which had rich social and cultural diversity.
Chairman Board of Governors Lahore Arts Council Atta-ul-Haq Qasmi, Member National Assembly Shafqat Mehmood, former Education Minister Mian Imran Masood, Chairman Pakistan Ulema Council Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, Mohtamim Jamia Naeemia Lahore Dr Raghib Hussain Naeemi, prominent intellectuals Amjad Islam Amjad, Dr Arifa Syeda, Lieutenant General Ghulam Mustafa (Retd), Mohtarma Perveen Atif, defence analyst Brid Nadir Mir (Retd), leader of Pakistan People's Party Lahore Naveed Chaudhry, cartoonist Javed Iqbal, anchorperson Sohail Warraich, singer Shaukat Ali, film director Syed Noor and Director PILAC Dr Sughra Sadaf also spoke on the occasion..