National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) in collaboration with United Nations (UN) Women on Thursday organized an awareness session preventing violent extremism in society. The main purpose of this awareness session was to create an understanding of extremism, its motives, and enablers, brainstorm on strategies in that regard and equip the participants with knowledge and skills to recognize and prevent the spread of this curse from the province.
The session was attended by Sindh Assembly Member Mangla Sharma and Sadaqat Hussain, and other relevant officers of different government departments including the police who actively participated in the discussions and shared their experiences and opinions. Director NACTA, Dr Munib Ahmed in his welcome address emphasized the importance of such sessions and said that it was essential for parliamentarians and senior government officers to understand the nature of violent extremism and its threats to our society. Experts including Humaira Masihuddin and Mirvaiz Niaz also shared knowledge and expertise on the history and nature of violent extremism in the region during the session.
They also identified ethnic, linguistic, national, and religious grounds, political and economic inequality and deprivation as well as international factors that serve as motives behind the escalating trends of violent extremism and also shared solutions to deal with the issue. They urged law enforcement agencies, parliamentarians, and prominent politicians to come forward and play their vital role in eradicating this menace from society. The participants were also given tips on how to recognize and report suspicious activities and individuals that may be involved in such activities. The participants appreciated the efforts of NACTA in organizing such an informative session and expressed their commitment to working together in that regard.