ISLAMABAD, Aug 1: The only way to tackle the problems of extremism for each country is to set it’s own house in order, maintained Dr Marcel Kurpershoek, the outgoing Dutch ambassador while talking to Dawn here on Saturday. He said Pakistan had to tackle the problem of extremism, especially those who use violence in the name of religion, to make the country conducive for foreign investments.

The ambassador, who would be saying goodbye to a three-year stint in Islamabad and flying back home on Sunday, said proscribed organizations which still have a lot of possibilities to pursue their detrimental activities need to be tackled with all seriousness. It is an issue that will not go away by itself and required a sustained and determined effort, he said.

According to Dr Kurpershoek, President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s speech in January 2002 set the bench marks for combating extremism and the same has to be implemented despite political bottle necks.

“The agenda has to be pursued with constant determination and seriousness without distractions,” he said while referring to recent steps taken by the government against militancy and extremism.

He said in his January 2002 speech, President Musharraf had announced steps for madressah registration and introduction of modern curriculum in religious schools and the same have taken a long time for implementation due to internal political constraints.

The ambassador said the government was committed to improve the things.

However, he said that despite the fact that a lot has happened in the domain of democracy, human rights and combating extremism, a lot many things still remained to be done in eliminating poverty, spreading education and on the human rights issues. He said during the PDF, EU made a strong statement on social development, health, education and human rights situation in Pakistan.

He said Pakistan took commendable steps under President Gen Musharraf towards improving the regional peace and security environment, including relations with India.

Dr Kurpershoek said as Dutch ambassador and in his capacity as EU President in Pakistan, he held “critical dialogues with the government on democracy and human rights.”

During his three years in Pakistan, Dr Kurpershoek held the EU presidency and saw implementation of agreements with Pakistan in the fields of democracy, human rights and fighting terrorism in addition to strengthening the cultural and educational relations between Pakistan and Netherlands and the EU.

He fully endorsed the “Pakistan First” policy of President Musharraf which he thought was a step in the right direction.

A cycling enthusiast Dr Kurpershoek said if a separate cycle track is made from Rawalpindi to Islamabad along the Rawal lake, many problems associated with health of the citizens, environment and traffic congestion could be overcome.

As a professor of Arabic in Holland, Dr Kurpershoek said that he had been going to his office on a sports bicycle, covering the 35-minute distance, almost every day during the eight years he served in his home country. He is also a mountaineering and trekking enthusiast.

Dr Kurpershoek made the best of his times in Islamabad by being a regular visitor to the Margallahs in the evening and exploring the mountains not only in the capital but also in the Northern Areas of the country, sometimes with back-packs of 20 kilogrammes.

Coming from the land of Tulips and wind-mills, where mountains are a rarity, the romance and challenge of conquering the nature’s peaks inspired Dr Kurpershoek to visit the Northern Areas. The ambassador described his recent expedition in Shimshal valley with enthusiasm and “how he clawed into the mountains” to conquer the steep Sonia peak in Shimshal valley in upper Hunza from the Khunjerab side with four colleagues, including Arjen Koll, his sister and brother-in-law.

“It’s not a child’s play to climb the 6240 metres snow covered Sonia peak,” said Dr Kurpershoek. He spoke high of the people of Shimshal, known as the ‘valley of mountaineers’.

Charmed with the beauty of the land and the fortitude of the people in Pakistan to fight the odds against them in various spheres of life, Dr Kurpershoek said he would again love to visit the country in future.