Assalam-o-Alaikum!

It is a matter of great honour and privilege for me to write a eassy on a

topic of great importance.

Now I will give you my take on the subject.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

We as a Nation, have fought the menace of terrorism most valiantly, giving
unparalleled sacrifices. Our Armed forces have set an example for the
whole world in cleansing these barbarians from their potholes. Our success
is acknowledged the world over.

I am grateful to Almighty ALLAH for bestowing this honour and pride on me

to command such a brave, professional and dedicated Army and I have no
hesitation in saying that ours is the best Army in the world.

It would not have been possible without your support. Each one of you was
on our back. I want to appreciate every segment of the society, especially
our LEAs and the media, for their consistent support in helping us cutting
these monsters to their size.

Today, we are at the most critical phase of our war against terror. As we
transit gradually from major operations against terrorism to more intricate,
targeted operations against residual threat, under the ambit of Operation
Rad-ul-Fasaad, we must also find ways to ensure that the causes behind
terrorism are addressed and National Action Plan is actualized.

Foremost amongst them is extremism. Please remember, while Army fights

terrorists, terrorism and extremism is fought by law enforcing agencies and
society.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

Pakistan is a young Nation, both in historic and demographic terms.
Demographically, over 50% of our population is projected to be less than 25
years of age. The future of our country literally lies with the direction that
our youth take over the next few years.

We are standing at a crossroads; ten year down the line, we will either be
enjoying the fruits of a youth dividend or suffering at the hands of a youth
bulge, especially with the youth which remains vulnerable to extremism.

Extremism is a relative term. It is relative to our perception of what is

normal. Therefore, we will only have a clear concept of extremism if we
have a clear concept of our own identity and values. A youth driven
towards extremism is a youth without a clear idea of his values and
identity.

Most important stimulus driving a young adult, is to find purpose and

meaning in life. It is during this stage that one is ready to commit; to
professions, to relationships, to causes and to ideologies. It is a wonderful
stage in life; but it is also the most vulnerable.
Ladies and Gentlemen!
The term extremism is often unjustly applied to devout sections of Muslim
societies, alienating them in the process.

Although it is not always out of malice, but misunderstanding; yet it is

imperative that we understand extremism in our own context

The Western definitions of Countering Violent Extremism are mostly

confined to what they call Islamic extremism

It is unfair and dangerous. Unfair, because of its inherent and totally wrong
association of extremism with Islam. Dangerous, because it focuses too
much attention on Muslim societies and masks the rise of extremism in
multiple societies across the world.

Just next door, India seems to have given in to extremism to such an extent
that it has become the new normal. Hate has been mainstreamed in India
and it is distorting there national outlook.

The Hindutva extremism of the RSS and their GaoRakshaks, deprivation of

Palestinians, the burning and desecration of mosques or gurdwaras in
western capitals, the rise of hyper nationalists and the monster of racism,
are all manifestations of extremism. We can easily say, it is emerging as a
transnational phenomenon hence warranting a transnational, unified
response.

Extremism is not due to any religion or ideology, it is a mindset where

passion has given way to hate and intolerance of others.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

Extremism is also related to the environment and the time we live in. From
that perspective, we must admit that Pakistani youth is getting exploited
due to poor governance and lack of justice in the society. The whole Muslim
world seems to be on fire. The country seems threatened from multiple
directions. It just does not seem fair.

Our challenges are very real but there are positive sides to the picture as
well. Not only have we survived the worst onslaught of terrorism in modern
history, we have reversed the tide. In fact, security has now achieved
conditions to help development take off.

Despite incessant propaganda, the fact is that as a Nation, Pakistan has

rejected terrorism. That speaks of the robustness of our social and
religious values and I have no doubt that we equally reject extremism in all
its manifestations.

The first ever PSL Cricket Final at Lahore and celebration of 23rd March
with three foreign contingents, has shown that our spirit is unbreakable
and no one can isolate us.

Youth are taking part in political discourse in unprecedented numbers and

are active in the social arena as well. They are winning accolades for
academic achievements abroad.
Whether it is the record of youngest achievers, maximum number of
straight As or a global technology competition, our youth stand out and
make us all proud.

We have organized todays event to find collective solutions against

extremism which affects everyone of us, including our most precious asset,
our youth. We, the entire nation, including the parents of these young
students expect them not only to be educated but groomed into balanced
personalities, productive citizens and future leaders. With the intellect,
skills and the talent that they have, we are sure that they will be able to do
wonders for Pakistan in every field.

With Pakistan becoming securer and promising by the day, it is perhaps

time to reverse brain drain. Your country needs you more than any other
country in the world.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

Our enemies, both state and non-state, are actively pursuing divisive
tendencies in society. Let me say that they are waging the biggest and
most sustained Hybrid War against us from multiple directions and using
multiple ways.

We are being targeted by not only terrorists but also spin masters of
multiple hostile agencies, trying to subvert our minds, particularly that of
our youth. Being denied opportunities in the mainstream media, they are
using faceless platforms on the internet and smart phones.

It does not give me pleasure to say that they are being helped actively in
their cause by some countries. Indian Leadership has made no secret of his
active involvement in proxy struggle in erstwhile East Pakistan and now in
Balochistan; nor are the assertions of some other leaders, any more secret.

We are cognizant of these threats and are actively countering them with
the support of the whole Nation. In fact, our homes, educational
institutions and media houses are the first line of defence against
extremism in the society. When I say educational institutions, they include
schools, madrassahs and even institutes of higher learning.

Please remember, we have defeated terrorism together, now we will go

after extremism too and rout it with our values, mental faculties and
physical energies.

Pakistan has done well in denying terrorists of all hues and colours, any
foot hold in our territory. We have ensured the writ of State in the farthest
and remotest corners of the country. Today there are no safe havens for
any miscreants in Pakistan.

We are actively taking measure to ensure that even residual presence does
not use Pakistans soil against any country, nor will we tolerate others
doing so against us.

Having defeated terrorism physically, now their deceitful message and

narrative must also be defeated .

These so called Muslims, have nothing to do with Islam. They are just a
bunch of thugs and killers led by their greed and evil ideologues

If you ever ask them why they are laying Muslim lands to waste, they will
tell you that they are only doing it for reform. Yet that is precisely what
Quran says about the miscreants or Fasadis in Surah e Baqra,and when it
is said unto them, do not cause fasad on the earth, they say, we are but
reformers.

They have realized that through ballot they cannot achieve power but
through violence they can, therefore coercion, fear and destruction are
their tools of choice. If you strip away the guile and verbosity, what they
say amounts to stopping the fire by lighting more fire.

Islam is not hostage to a specific form of government, a specific set of laws

or a particular interpretation. It is a grand framework for whole humanity
that can thrive in any system and any society.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

The ultimate objective of any religion is to teach you how to live a good
life, not how to die a destructive death glory comes in pursuit of the end
towards a good society, not as an end in itself. Islam expects you to enjoin
what is right and forbid what is wrong. That is all as far as your social
responsibility is concerned.

You cannot impose your views on anyone. La Ikraha fiddeen. There is no

compulsion in religion. There is no legitimate force less the force of the
State.

Therefore, lets reduce violence from our society so that we are able to
rebuild Pakistan. The world is moving ahead and we cannot afford to be left
behind.

Lets join hands to counter extremism by providing ideal environment in

your respective institutions and through diligence and discipline. Lets help
each other in identifying, curtailing and defeating any attempts to pollute
the minds of our youth.

I thank you for a very patient hearing. Pakistan Paindabaad.

ISLAMABAD, March 20 (APP): President Mamnoon Hussain on Monday said
terrorism can not be eliminated by use of force alone and emphasized on role
of educated youth to discourage extremist mindset in the society.
Educated youth can play a significant role in purifying the society polluted
with evils of intolerance and terrorism, the President said in his address here
at the convocation of National University of Modern Languages (NUML).
President Mamnoon Hussain said extremist views develop in a society where
its members refuse to accept dialogue and intellectual arguments and adopt
violent ways to assert their beliefs.
He said Islam rejects promotion of extremist mindset and encourages a
balanced way of life.
He stressed the need for everyone to shun extremist narrative so as to make
the country a haven of peace.
The President said Pakistan was blessed with a distinctive geography, which
linked many regions and was also a source of connectivity among them.
He said learning of regional languages was a key step in ensuring sustainable
connectivity among nations, adding that importance of this fact increased
manifold with launch of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
President Mamnoon said NUML could play an important role in addressing the
upcoming linguistic challenges in view of interaction with foreign traders and
professionals.
He said opening of NUMLs international campus in Chinas city Urumqi would
be a significant development in this regard.
Mamnoon Hussain mentioned making cuts in his budget of President House
for allocation of grant for the students of Gwadar to learn Chinese language.
He expressed satisfaction that NUML had enhanced its research activities and
asked it to further expand linkages with other international universities in
Asia and Europe.
The President urged upon the linguistic experts to encourage people of the
Silk Route countries to learn each others languages.
He said Urdu provides an excellent foundation as many of its words were
comprehensible in several countries and suggested that NUML could play an
important role in this regard.
He congratulated the graduating students on completion of their courses and
expressed confidence that they would come up to the expectations of their
teachers and parents in practical life