Terrorism and extremism is the biggest threat to Pakistan’s progress. Their roots can be traced as far back as 1979, when there was an effort made to kick out Russia from Afghanistan. We continued to suffer the after effects of that decision till the end of 20th century. However, the problem became severe after 9/11. And up till now it had become so grave a threat that we it became an existential threat for our motherland.

I do not want to go into detail history of terrorism in Pakistan any further. However, the million dollar question is that what are the ways to eradicate or to overcome this most dangerous problem. Surely operation Zarb-e-Azb is going forward successfully. But we all know that it’s a temporary measure. So what are the measures that must be taken so that our nation can be brought back to the road of progress in all fields of life.

Parliamentarians can pay a very constructive role in this regard. They must use their energies in the right direction to convince the people of their constituencies to stay out of all sorts of terrorist activities. They can easily inculcate in the minds of people the vision of a terrorist-free society and about a progressive and emerging Pakistan. However, the fact is that our lawmakers have not been able to play their due role in this regard. It is thus a high time they must come forward to save the future of Pakistan.

Religious leaders in any society can play an effective role in time of crises such as ours. But the case of Pakistan is different regarding war on terror. Unfortunately, our influential religious leaders were in some respect close to the terrorist organizations and to their self-professed ideology in the past. They can play effective role by using mosques, speeches and writings to guide the ignorant masses of the country. There is still a large section of the society in Pakistan who prefer to listen these religious leaders at any cost. So why are we not utilizing the influence and potentials of these leaders in the true sense?

Civil society is another major stakeholder. However, we have seen that they too have not played their due role against war on terror. The close observation of this modern world demands that in time of crises civil society must come to the forefront to help the state machinery. But in Pakistan it is still a missing area of civil society.

Education is another very important way to eradicate the root causes of terrorism. The first step should be to provide a uniform system of education to the masses. Such a system must be free of prejudice and sectarian violence. This will help create citizens having a balanced approach towards life.

Al these major effects must be initiated at the same time and must be communicated to all citizens through electronic and print media. This is also one of the most demanding area for the media to work on. As it is also badly required from the media to channelized their work in a constructive manner to inform people how they can beat the terrorist designs. After all, united approach and combined efforts for a good cause can only make a nation stronger and prosperous in all respects.