NEW YORK: Pakistan has called for a comprehensive international approach to wipe out terrorists, saying that the failure to redress genuine grievances of the weak against the powerful created the breeding grounds of terrorism.
Speaking at the UN Security Council, Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi underscored the need to counter “at every step, comprehensively” the terrorists’ “schematic” method of exploiting fears and grievances to lure followers into their fold. Terrorism, she said, could not be associated with any religion, culture or region.
“While individual member states should do all they can to address socio-economic conditions and politico-religious factors at the national level, we must also address the international drivers that contribute to injustice, inequality, hatred and deprivation,” the Pakistani envoy told the 15-member council during a debate on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.
“If conflicts spawn terrorism and if terrorist narratives feed off conflict situations it is critical to seek an end to these conflicts to deprive terrorists of their oxygen,” she said.
Condoning foreign interventions and occupations, as well as denying people the right to self-determination provided fertile grounds for terrorist propaganda to take root, she said, adding that failure to prevent xenophobia, Islamophobia and other forms of discrimination had resulted in missed opportunities to counter the terrorist narrative.
The unprecedented use of social media platforms by terrorists allowed them to engage young people, disseminate messages and mobilise recruits, she said, emphasising the key importance of countering online radicalisation and measures to prevent such groups from exploiting the digital space.
Continuing, the Pakistani envoy said there were ways to counter the terrorist narrative aimed at radicalisation that leads from indoctrination to action: Investment aimed at providing hopeful alternatives to the narrative used by terrorists to both invoke fear and hold out the false promise of an idyllic future, making the young aware of the dire consequences of following the violent path, and to prevent any glorification of terrorism in the print or broadcast media.
Pakistan’s National Action Plan to counter terrorism contains six specific actions points that directly and indirectly aim to counter the narratives and ideologies of terrorists, Ambassador Maleeha told the Security Council.
“We are committed to fight this battle of minds, as much as we are committed to fight the terrorists on the ground,” she said. “Pakistan stands ready to share its national experience with the international community to further our common goal of defeating terrorism and eliminating violent extremism.” from our correspondent
