On One hand the Pakistan army is employed against those who use islamist ideology to justify terrorism and on the other peole are asking for a referendum, presumably the islamist terrorists will also participate - Khair
It's a not a rethink, it's a rollback... but no need to fret - the govt as usual, has it's head up it's azz
Govt’s ‘de-radicalisation’ plan sans PPP input
By Muhammad Akram
LAHORE: The proposed de-radicalisation plan to combat rising fundamentalism and extremism in the country, discussed at a recently held meeting of the Defence Committee of the Cabinet, has turned out to be a plan that exists only in official files or in the complete control of the bureaucracy since the PPP-led coalition government has yet to take up the matter with the party for its input on this important matter, informed party sources told Daily Times on Friday.
A number of important party office-bearers expressed their surprise over the existence of any such plan, saying that they have yet to come across any such proposal that was reportedly discussed at the Defence Committee of the Cabinet.
All but Sindh PPP General Secretary Taj Haider sought anonymity after expressing their unawareness on the matter. Senator Taj Haider, however, said the reported matter need to be explained further as it involves very sensitive matters, and that though it is an important matter the party has many other important matters to deal with. He was of the view that the term de-radicalisation of the country required to be taken in the perspective of the growing extremism in society, which is though a matter of prime concern, yet not debated in full with all those who really matters.
Former Punjab PPP general secretary and Policy Planning Committee member Prof Ijazul Hasan told Daily Times that the country needs de-radicalisation on many fronts, including the swaying fundamentalism and extremism allowed to nourish by the successive military regimes, particularly from 1977 to 1987 by Gen Ziaul Haq to prolong its dictatorial rule under the garb of Afghan war.
The society has yet to come out of the psychological shocks it was given by the state apparatus during military regimes and the establishment-controlled democratic rule.
He recalled that only six months ago he and certain other members of the civil society had been part of an exercise to study the de-radicalisation of society in terms of bringing reforms in the madrassas, allowed to mushroom during the last three decades.
To a query, Prof Ijalul Hasan maintained that besides de-radicalisation of other spheres of society the country needs to work hard on over two million madrassa students which holds the key in the success of any such plan meant for de-radicalisation of the country. Madrassas reforms, he stressed, is one such key area that need to be looked specifically to put the country on the path of normalisation and striking balance among various thought processes in society.
Matters such as de-radicalisation of society are seldom discussed at party forums, opined a former PPP central office-bearer, saying the organisation of the party was never structured on these lines except for few early years of its creation in 1967.
He was of the view that despite odds the party still holds the capacity to accelerate the process of de-radicalisation of society if intelligentsia and academics are involved to address the party workers in every nook and corner of the country.
The PPP leader who had been part of the party’s central information cell said it is high time for the leadership to exploit this potential of the party to bring about a real change in the matters such as de-radicalisation of society by engaging all those who had been part of the party for reasons other than grabbing power by hook or by crook within the party and in the government.
The political pundits are of the view that given the federal structure of the party and a force that carries somewhat ideological thinking can play a decisive role in defeating the radical forces in the country, if given a chance. They were of the view that the war on terror, that is being carried out by the party-government despite having a marginal or no say in the formulation of country’s security and foreign policy still a force to reckon with to defeat the ideology of extremists and fundamentalists in society by exploiting the reasons of the very existence of the party, now in its mid-40s.