Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has come up with a five-point agenda for checking extremism within the country.
The former military ruler acknowledged that Pakistan also has to look inwards to resolve its sociopolitical conflict.
"We, as a nation, have to boldly demonstrate our resolve towards moderation and rejection of extremism from within our society. We have to follow, with courage, the five-point agenda that I created to check extremism within," Musharraf wrote in a piece for CNN.
He said that the misuse of madrassas and mosques from preaching militancy of any form must be stopped.
No material spreading violence and militancy should be printed/published and sold or distributed, he added.
Musharraf also called for banning militant religious organisations and dening their reemergence under different names.
He also emphasised on the need to keep the religious syllabus and curriculum in schools under constant review to "prevent any teaching of controversial issues, which could lead to religious rigidity, extremism and intolerance."
The implementation of a madrassa strategy to "mainstream Taliban into the social fabric of the nation" constituted Musharraf's fifth agenda to check extremism in Pakistan.
The former president, however, acknowledged that all these points are easier said than done, saying that it needs a government that "comprehends the magnitude of the task, has the following of the people and the determination to change."
Musharraf, who launched the All Pakistan Muslim League (PML) party in late 2010 with a view to running for office in 2013, said that in the present political scenario, none of the political parties or their leaders has the acumen to achieve such lofty ideals.
"We face an acute leadership vacuum. This has to be filled. We have to break the political status quo. We have to produce a political alternative to be seen domestically and internationally as viable and take it to victory through democratic means," he said.
"Time is of essence for Pakistan. Too much water has flown under the bridge. The next elections will be the mother of all elections," added Musharraf, who has vowed to return to Pakistan by March 23 next year to contest the upcoming general elections.ANI
The former military ruler acknowledged that Pakistan also has to look inwards to resolve its sociopolitical conflict.
"We, as a nation, have to boldly demonstrate our resolve towards moderation and rejection of extremism from within our society. We have to follow, with courage, the five-point agenda that I created to check extremism within," Musharraf wrote in a piece for CNN.
He said that the misuse of madrassas and mosques from preaching militancy of any form must be stopped.
No material spreading violence and militancy should be printed/published and sold or distributed, he added.
Musharraf also called for banning militant religious organisations and dening their reemergence under different names.
He also emphasised on the need to keep the religious syllabus and curriculum in schools under constant review to "prevent any teaching of controversial issues, which could lead to religious rigidity, extremism and intolerance."
The implementation of a madrassa strategy to "mainstream Taliban into the social fabric of the nation" constituted Musharraf's fifth agenda to check extremism in Pakistan.
The former president, however, acknowledged that all these points are easier said than done, saying that it needs a government that "comprehends the magnitude of the task, has the following of the people and the determination to change."
Musharraf, who launched the All Pakistan Muslim League (PML) party in late 2010 with a view to running for office in 2013, said that in the present political scenario, none of the political parties or their leaders has the acumen to achieve such lofty ideals.
"We face an acute leadership vacuum. This has to be filled. We have to break the political status quo. We have to produce a political alternative to be seen domestically and internationally as viable and take it to victory through democratic means," he said.
"Time is of essence for Pakistan. Too much water has flown under the bridge. The next elections will be the mother of all elections," added Musharraf, who has vowed to return to Pakistan by March 23 next year to contest the upcoming general elections.ANI
