PESHAWAR - Speakers at a consultative discussion on community policing here on Wednesday stressed the need for effective measures to counter violent extremism in the society with active involvement of the community.
The dialogue on “Communities Waging Peace through Youth and Mother Peace Groups” was arranged by PAIMAN, a non-governmental organisation. Secretary Interior Akhtar Ali Shah was the chief guest on the occasion while representatives of all the departments concerned attended the programme.
Speaking on the occasion Akhtar Ali Shah discussed the role of community in peace keeping and countering violent extremist behaviours. “Mothers specifically play a vital role in the society. I am happy to see that the organisation is also involving mother peace groups for community policing,” he remarked.
He was of the opinion that before starting an initiative one must know the root causes of violent extremism in a society. According to him, low literacy, lack of recreation facilities, unavailability of skill development opportunities and low priority to human resource development are some of the main causes that lead to violent extremism in the society. He said that in order to bring back the disgruntled elements to the society and make them useful citizens, some counter terrorism strategies have already been adopted.
 But there was a great need to evolve proper strategies to counter extreme violence, he added.
For the purpose he stressed the need for adopting an effective education system and discouraging hate speech and literature. He also underlined the need for channelising the youth towards sports, skill development and overcoming the issues that lead them to sense of deprivation.
Speaking on the occasion, executive director of the organisation Mussarat Qadeem said that the colossal problem of violent extremism could not be resolved until the government and civil society work hand to hand to address it through the use of indigenous knowledge and skills.