Dawn
Published Date: Jun 2, 2018
Nacta, SDPI to work for eradication of extremism
The Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) to make joint efforts for eradication of extremism and build a counter-narrative in the country.
Signed by Ihsan Ghani, the national coordinator for Nacta, and Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri, the executive director of SDPI, the MoU will focus on research on issues related to terrorism and extremism for informed policy decision making and help create public awareness against the extremist mindset.
Mr Ghani said Pakistan would have laws related to charities to strictly monitor and audit religious institutions, including seminaries and even mosques.
He said Nacta was mandated to conduct primary research on issues related to terrorism and extremism and build a counter-narrative in this regard.
He said the MoU would help build the research capacity of Nacta through capacity development training workshops provided by the SDPI.
In the wake of growing emerging challenges such as extremism and terrorism, Nacta will seek evidence-based advice and technical support from SDPI. This new collaboration will prove to be a great help for Nacta, he added.
The SDPI chief said though Pakistan had successfully fought terrorism and extremism, due to lack of informed policy decisions consolidation on the counter-terrorism achievements remained a major challenge.
“The authorities or institutions, including security forces, cannot fight the terrorists alone. There is a need for support from society and as long as there are fears among the citizens the nation cannot progress,” he said.
He said Nacta had a crucial role to ensure a peaceful environment which was a prerequisite for a sustainable and just society.
“The SDPI would also work towards building consensus across the political spectrum, especially forging political consensus around issues related to sustainable development, including terrorism and extremism,” he said.
Nacta will identify employees and officers of various departments for relevant training across the country.
Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1411436