Misuse of freedom of expression also extremism: PM

Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Monday said misuse of freedom of expression was a sort of extremism, adding that it should be discouraged.
Addressing Asia Europe Meeting Summit (ASEM-9), the prime minister said the inter-religion harmony should be promoted shunning hate mongering in religion. He said Pakistan had given great sacrifices in the war against terrorism, which needed to be acknowledged.
“As we move ahead, new challenges are emerging, disturbing peace and harmony,” he said, adding that it was important that all religions and their followers were accorded the respect they deserved. He said it was unfortunate that some individuals had tried to trespass the threshold of decency misusing the freedom of expression and in the process sought to cause misunderstanding between the followers of various religions. Ashraf said the trend would be seen as another kind of extremism and, therefore, was neither desirable nor welcome. “All religions teach tolerance and accommodation. We need to inculcate, promote and respect these values,” he added.
He said the Afghanistan war had affected the entire region, adding that peace and friendship in the region was imperative. Besides, he urged for the resolution of disputes by the regional countries, as the region could bear any further frictions and tensions. The regional issues should be resolved with bilateral dialogues and harmony.
He said wars and conflicts bred poverty and deprivation and it was important for the regional countries to resolve the differences through dialogue and negotiations.
“Through talks we would be able to preserve peace as well as the hard-earned progress we have achieved,” he said.
“Peace is a prerequisite for prosperity as region’s enormous potential would remain underutilized if an atmosphere of conflict and tension continues to prevail,” he said.
Prime Minister Ashraf said the security in the region, caused by fallout of three decade-old conflict in Afghanistan had not allowed our people the degree of prosperity they deserved. He said both Asia and Europe had gone through the financial crises during the recent years an added it was a time for both to learn from these harsh realities.
With regard to ASEM, he said Pakistan attached great importance to its process and added since joining ASEM in 2006 Pakistan has actively participated in its activities at all levels.