ISTANBUL: President Mamnoon Hussain has urged the international community to help choke terror financing and supply of arms to the terrorist networks.
“Since the comprehensive military operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched in 2014, the backbone of the terrorists has been broken and they are on the run. In their desperation, terrorists are picking soft targets, including innocent civilians, women and children,” the president said in an interview with Daily Sabah.
President Mamnoon is in Turkey to participate in the 13th session of the Islamic Summit Conference organised by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul. He reiterated that Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestation and remains determined to completely eliminate this scourge.
Appreciating the steadfast support and solidarity Pakistan had received from Turkey in its struggle against terrorism; he said the country stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Turkey. He said, undoubtedly, the people of Turkey would decisively defeat the scourge of terrorism with their strong will and unshakable resolve. Mamnoon said that peace, moderation, compassion and tolerance were the essence of Islam and that it was the responsibility of Muslim leaders to project Islam in its right light to the outside world and leave no space for misinterpretation or misrepresentation.
“In recent times, our regions have been affected by conflict, instability and the scourge of terrorism. Both Pakistan and Turkey have suffered grievously at the hands of terrorism while they have made unmatched sacrifices fighting this menace. Terrorism knows no borders, and combating it effectively continues to be a global challenge,” he maintained.
To a question, the president reiterated that Pakistan was a responsible nuclear state and had been actively and constructively engaged in the Nuclear Security Summit process. “We have stringent nuclear security architecture, including a robust command and control system. The measures taken by Pakistan have won international recognition. Our nuclear regime is dynamic and is regularly reviewed and updated,” he highlighted.
“Recently, as another manifestation of our commitment to the objective of nuclear security, Pakistan ratified the 2005 Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM). Pakistan remains proactively engaged with the international community and we also work closely with the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA).”
However, he said, it was unfortunate to see extremism of different shades and colours rear its ugly head in various parts of the world. It seemed clear that intolerant ideologies were growing worldwide, and with them the levels of violence.”
“It was the collective responsibility not to allow any misguided elements within our fold, to define Islam to the world through their misguided actions. In this regard, among others, the role of intellectuals, academics, religious scholars and youth is very important,” he emphasised. “We have evolved a comprehensive National Action Plan with the consensus of all stakeholders to eradicate extremism and terrorism. We are simultaneously taking other measures while the internationally acclaimed military operation Zarb-e-Azb,” the president said.
He said the country was also reforming the education system, particularly religious education, and has taken stronger measures against hate speech. He said effective efforts were also underway to squeeze the financial resources of terrorists, which required international cooperation as well.
