ISLAMABAD, Dec 31: The government is determined to weed out extremist elements from the society who are eating out the vitals of our social fabric by spreading intolerance, Interior Minister Moeenuddin Haider said on Monday.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 125th birthday celebrations of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and prize distribution ceremony held here at the Federal Government Margalla College for Women F-7/4 here today, the interior minister said even the cold blooded murder of his brother could not deter him from carrying out government’s policy of striking hard on terrorism.

“Our policy of discouraging extremism from the society is considered by certain elements to be the biggest hurdle in carrying out their nefarious designs,” he said. “But enough is enough, and such tendencies could no longer be tolerated.”

He said the perpetrators wanted to send him a message by killing his brother who through Fatmid Foundation devoted his life to serve children, suffering with thalessemia.

“I seek guidance from no one but God and would continue to serve the country without any fear or favour,” the minister said.

Explaining government’s intention of changing syllabus of the madressahs by introducing modern subjects along with the religious subjects, he said the real intention of the government was to produce educated and skilled students with a sense of responsibility who could take active part in the economic development of the country.

“Our intention is to inculcate a sense of dignity, responsibility, selflessness and infuse the spirit among the students, the demonstration of which culminated in the creation of the country,” he said. “We have to develop a system where the students are imparted both religious knowledge as well as modern subjects.”

“Even the Holy Prophet (PBUH) had always emphasized on education and asked the Muslims to seek knowledge even if they had to go to China,” the minister said and noted that China was not the centre of Islamic studies at that time.

The minister pointed out that in spite the fact that the Quaid-i-Azam used to deliver speeches in English, which majority of the Muslims of the subcontinent could not understand at that time, he succeeded in achieving the goals he had set out in a short span of seven years by managing to unite the divided Muslims on one platform. “The reason was that he commanded unflinching support and respect because of his unimpeachable character and unwavering resolve.”

Earlier, Director General Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) Brig (rtd) Maqsoodul Hassan said that different programmes were chalked out in connection with declaring the year 2001 as the Quaid-i-Azam year.

He said different programmes would help a lot in raising the level of understanding and clearing vision among the students about the personality of Quaid-i-Azam and the independence movement.

The real strength behind Quaid-i-Azam was his character against which even the worst detractors could not point fingers, he said.

Prof Rafiq Tahir, the secretary of the Quaid-i-Azam committee presented a list of programmes which were organized during the year.

Dr Zawwar Hussain Zaidi, the chairman of the Quaid-i-Azam papers in his keynote speech, deplored that in Pakistan the Quaid-i-Azam had been reduced to an icon and had become an instrument of political legitimization.

Earlier, during the morning session, leading nuclear scientist Dr Samar Mubarakmand, chairman of national engineering and scientific commission (Nescom), said the Pakistani scientists and engineers had made Pakistan a leading technical state in the Muslim World and in South Asia.

He said the scientists and engineers working in the technical organizations of Pakistan were a living example of total commitment and professional excellence. “To them their job is not merely a mean of livelihood but also a way of life and they will never let down the nation.”

He said in the contemporary times, as in the past, those nations that had paid attention to educating their human resource had progressed and grown from strength to strength, but those who neglected this vital aspect, had fallen into decay.

Unfortunately, he said, during the five decades, due attention was not given to education. “We have yet to exploit the immense potential of our talented manpower,” he said.