Intelligence agencies are with the government and it does not need to show its strength or muscle through public rallies, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Saturday.
The prime minister was talking to reporters at Aitchison College’s 125th Founder’s Day on Saturday. Asked whether the PPP would show its street power to respond to the show of public strength by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Gilani said it was not worthy of the government to indulge in such activities. Gilani said terrorism and extremism were actually “a war of ideas”, which could effectively be defeated through better ideas. “The nation is confronted with the menace of terrorism… it is not merely a physical fight but a battle of ideas, and to eliminate terrorism and extremism, we need to defeat the idea, which generates image in the first stage.”
Gilani stressed upon intellectuals, religious scholars, academia, and students to come forward and play their due role in this regard. “An inferior idea can be killed by a superior idea,” he quoted Benazir Bhutto as saying. He said it was incumbent upon teachers of educational institutions to eliminate terrorism by inculcating brotherhood, love, peace and harmony in students. He said after the passage of the 18th Amendment, education had become a provincial subject, adding that the federal government, in consultation with provinces and other stakeholders, had prepared the National Educational Policy 2009 under which each province would chalk out its own action plan for the promotion of education. Gilani also congratulated the management, faculty and students of Aitchison College on the festive occasion. He said since its inception the institution had lived up to its reputation and had undoubtedly produced leaders over a period of 125 years, who had set up a high benchmark of success and showed outstanding performance.