UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has urged the UN Security Council to redouble its efforts to address long-standing conflicts and disputes.

Taking part in a debate at the Security Council on “The Role of Youth in Countering Violent Extremism and Promoting Peace”, Pakistan’s Ambassador to UN Maleeha Lodhi said that this would be a major step in reversing the radicalisation of youth.

According to a press release, she said that the rise of violent extremism had a direct co-relation with conflicts and disputes, foreign intervention and occupation, religious, racial and ethnic discrimination or persecution as well as social and economic exclusion. “Extremists use such injustices to lure youth into supporting their agenda.”

Also read: Pakistan urges world community to address conflicts in Mideast

Emphasising the importance of economic empowerment of youth, Ms Lodhi said that when economic opportunity fails to keep pace with demographics, young people become particularly vulnerable to being attracted to extremist narratives. “So if violent extremists are to be defeated the economic empowerment of youth must be a major component of a counter radicalisation strategy,” she added.

She told the 15-member council that a distinction should be made between free speech and hate speech. Legislation to prohibit insults to religion would help to address the growing problem of Islamophobia in certain Western states.

Highlighting the multi-dimensional aspects of the rise in violent extremism, she said that radicalisation of youth could not be understood, much less curbed, short of its political, social and economic context. “Economic and political exclusion and social injustice fuels disenchantment that drives young men and women towards extremism and that, in turn, assures terrorist groups of a steady supply of recruits,” she added.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2015

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