01 March 2005	Tuesday	19 Muharram 1426

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

ISLAMABAD, Feb 28: The National Security Council on Monday discussed ways of promoting religious moderation and curbing the publication and spread of hate literature.

It also reviewed the law and order situation in the country with particular focus on Balochistan and Northern Areas.

President General Pervez Musharraf presided over the meeting, which was attended by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and other members of the council. Federal ministers for education, interior, Kashmir affairs and Northern Areas, and religious affairs gave detailed briefings to the meeting.

The president stressed the need of taking concrete measures to bring about a societal change by curbing the scourge of terrorism, extremism and sectarianism which, he said, had done immeasurable harm to peace, harmony and development in the country and tarnished the image of Islam and Pakistan.

He emphasized that Pakistan had been created in the name of Islam and it was the duty of all Pakistanis to project the true image of Islam as a religion of peace and tolerance through their words and deeds.

He said the national economy had taken off and the country was on course to achieving the GDP growth of seven per cent or more this year. He said ensuring peace and security was vital to attracting larger foreign investment.

The president said there was no short-cut to poverty alleviation and only a robust economy could achieve this target for which all necessary incentives and stimulus packages had been put in place.

He cited mega infrastructure development projects as major catalysts for economic revival and said that their completion would be ensured for the benefit of the masses.

He emphasized that continuation of policies and the system were essential for achieving higher growth. He declared that 'divisive forces' would not be permitted to take the country back to the days "when we were running from pillar to post" to seek foreign aid.

He said: "By the grace of Allah Almighty we are firmly standing on our feet and huge investments are being made for the development of the country." President Musharraf said that now the focus was on doing more trade, rather than seeking aid.

He said the divisive forces must not be allowed to disrupt the development process as their sole purpose was to keep the people backward so that they could mislead them. He declared that the government would not allow any disruption in law and order and ensure the country's march ahead.

The president noted with satisfaction that the Ashura had passed peacefully without a single untoward incident and lauded the "excellent work" of law-enforcement agencies which thwarted attempts at terrorism.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said that Deeni Madaris could play a vital role in promoting moderation through a correct interpretation of the Holy Quran and Sunnah and by teaching modern subjects and giving opportunities to their students to play an effective role in national life.

The NSC members received briefings from federal ministers for education, interior and religious affairs on promotion of religious moderation and efforts at curbing the spread of hate literature.

The meeting noted with concern the slow progress on Madressah reforms aimed at introducing modern subjects alongside religious courses and bringing the Madressa students into the mainstream of national life.

The participants were of the view that the registration procedure of Madaris should be further streamlined and implemented both at the federal and provincial levels and that representative bodies of Deeni Madaris should be kept on board.

In this regard, the ministries of education, religious affairs and interior should hold consultations with these bodies and finalize their recommendations at the earliest.

The meeting took exception to the use of places of worship for the spread of hatred among simple folks and printing and circulation of seditious material. It noted that ulema and religious scholars held a great responsibility to foster religious harmony in the country.

The provincial governments were asked to keep a watch on the misuse of loudspeakers. It was pointed out that fanning sectarian hatred through words or literature was an act of terrorism and should be prosecuted under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The NSC took serious note of the activities of certain anti-state elements who, at the behest of vested interests, were causing damage to national assets in Balochistan.

It also took exception to the fielding of private armies by certain individuals in Balochistan and 'Farari Camps' where rejected and frustrated lot of criminals were being sheltered.

The meeting was informed that intelligence agencies had arrested some people involved in attacks on Wapda electricity towers and their interrogation had led to recovery of arms and ammunition and information about transfer of money. It noted that these arrests had a very positive effect and sabotage activities had abated a great deal in the province.

Certain vested interests were not happy over the execution of mega development projects in Balochistan and wanted to keep the people backward to advance their own agenda, the meeting noted.

The NSC expressed satisfaction that the armed forces had done a "tremendous job" by providing timely relief to the people stricken by recent flash floods. The NSC asked the Balochistan government to play a pro-active role in pursuing a two-pronged strategy of tough punitive action against criminals and political dialogue.

During a briefing on the law and order situation in the Northern Areas, the council stressed that speedy investigation of the incidents of January 8 be carried out and political steps taken to defuse polarization.

The NSC members said the government's writ must be established through effective employment of administrative machinery and government buildings and other important installations should be protected. -APP