Speakers at a roundtable discussion titled, ‘Extremism versus Moderate Pacifism: Which Discourse is Winning in Pakistan?’ said extremism is a greater threat to Pakistan than terrorism. The roundtable discussion was organised by the Aman-o-Nisa: Pakistan Women’s Coalition Against Extremism. It was attended by academicians from diverse disciplines as well as representatives of leading think-tanks working on the issues of peace and conflict in Pakistan The speakers expressed concerns over the rising intolerance among various groups and sects in the society and called upon the academia and media to play a constructive role in rooting out extremism from the society.
They stated that reporting incidents that violate the norms of peaceful societies was not given due importance in public discourse. Speaking on the occasion, Aman-o-Nisa Federal Coordinator Ammara Durrani said the academic community of the country needed to step out of its ivory towers and interact with all the segments of the society. She stated that it was the academics’ moral responsibility to play a proactive role in bringing peace and pluralism to the country. Ambassador Tanveer Ahmed Khan said: “The Islamic world is faced with an identity crisis.” Dr Munawar Anees said the genesis of extremism in Pakistan needed to examined and that extremism was forbidden in Islam.
Dr. Ihan Niya from the Quaid-e-Azam University History Department said there was a dearth of funding for the social science research in the country as compared to the developed world. He stated that the social sciences played a key role in shaping ideologies and mindsets. He added that extremist tendencies could only be uprooted through the quality of education and academic training.
Niya said the academia is playing its role despite the lack of resources and opportunities given to them.
Quaid-i-Azam University DSS Department Assistant Professor Salma Malik said religion has often been exploited by the clergy belonging to different schools of thought. She stated that the school curriculum needed to be more balanced and holistic in its outlook.
Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies Director Amir Rana said empirical research needed to be introduced for the eradication of extremist thoughts.
With a special reference to terrorism and extremism, the discussion focused on identifying prominent strands of academic discourses in Pakistan on extremism and moderate pacifism that serve as points of socio-political reference as well as influential ideas for stakeholders. Participants evaluated the extent to which these competing discourses are directly and indirectly perpetuating violence or spreading peace in Pakistan. They further examined whether a purely academic ‘alternative’ discourse could be constructed jointly to promote moderate pacifism, tolerance and pluralism with the conscious purpose of purging extremism from society.