Daily Times: Dr. Haider Shah.
The key measure of a de-radicalisation plan should be a complete overhaul of the syllabus of the educational institutions of Pakistan
On New Year’s Eve, Britain comes alive with celebrations, fireworks and parties in every corner of the country. The freezing air fails to deter millions of people from exchanging warm feelings of hope, happiness, love and good wishes amid New Year resolutions. Similar scenes are witnessed in many other countries as well. Ask any police officer what accompanies the arrival of the Islamic New Year in Pakistan. Perhaps just casting a cursory look at the headlines of news during the last one week can be revealing. The news reports tell us that heavy contingents of police, rangers, and other law-enforcement agencies have been deployed to prevent followers of various religious denominations from slitting each other’s throats. Motorbike riding and mobile phones have been banned amid the declaration of a red alert as if, like the US government, the Pakistani government was also preparing for an impending tsunami.
Mandatory declaration of nonallegiance and nonalliance with terrorists under oath
Sadly the bare truth is that because almost all political parties in Pakistan, one way or the other, directly or indirectly have their militant wings equiped with arms or maintain their tacit support or tolerate the activities for their continued links or afiliations with terrrorists that is why they are unable to control them and bring peace in Pakistan. They are dishonest and disloyal double standards. It therefore essentail to seek a mandatory declaration of non allegiance and non alliance from each and every politician elected or to be elected for any public position including other public officers in Pakistan. Similarly educational syllabus needs to be urgently changed with practical steps to be taken to stop intolerance and violence rather than mere cosmatic statements like : “Zardari or Raja or Malik or Sharif or Altaf Bhai has taken notice of ….”. Judiciary must introduce a mandatory declaration of non allegiance and non alliance at once. Such declaration is commonly used in the United Kingdom in almost all application forms why not copy good things for the good.