Education & Pen is more powerful weapon for war on extremism and terrorism than any arms of weapon.

It is natural to have different opinion in the area, in local communities, in one house, in work places and overall in our daily lives on definition of ideologies, decisions, theories and religious beliefs and such differences can come up between neighboring countries as well. Secondly causes that develop extremism and terrorism are lack of quality education, deprivation of rights denial to justice and decisions against merit in the society. Thirdly poverty, unemployment persons are empty minded which is a devil workshop. Wise persons amongst the wisest know how to resolve these differences and remove the root causes of extremism and terrorism.

We should accept and recognize the wisest persons saying that education helps avoid conflicts and is more powerful and permanent weapon of war on terror than any other modern arms. Education and literacy gives knowledge, wisdom with values required for reconciliation, peace, love, tolerance, care and friendly atmosphere required for saying no to extremism and terrorism when war with arms of weapons leaves hattenning, enmity behind for a long time of generations. With education to youngsters and income generating activities to adults and elders (both man and women) for socio economic development activities initiated for poverty alleviation would surely avoid extremism. The activities should clearly be seen financially benefiting the community living in poverty hit zones of the border villages in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Rural and Community Development experts claim that required positive changes in attitude and in behavior of the people living in border villages of Pakistan and Afghanistan is only possible through education and income generating activities run by community themselves. I suggest that Community Based Schools (CBS) for providing Education & literacy are established on both sides of borders from Badakhshan, Kunarh to Helmand in Afghanistan and from Chitral to Nushki-Quetta in Pakistan and operated by community themselves. Schools established on an innovative conceptual basis i.e. schools to be owned, run and managed by parents themselves with financial and technical support from Donors through Local Support Organizations (LSO) again formed by parents for supervising the day-to-day affairs of the schools. These schools are named as Community Based Schools (CBS) operating very successfully by parents in Pakistan.

I suggest that people living in the border villages be given skill and kept busy in activities for income generation like development of fruits, vegetable, livestock, wooden work, embroidery, garment making and its marketing and export, construction of link road, irrigation channel and bringing more and more land under cultivation, skill to women in making garments like uniform for schools & etc and as such make them earning member of the family in the society. This concept would also help stop growing and trading of drugs in the area. To identify potential areas with opportunities for development, extensive study of border villages would be required that could meet US idea and plan for Reconstruction of Zones (RoZ) lying on both sides of border areas of Afghanistan & Pakistan. This (ROZ) is really the best idea for rooting out extremism & terrorism by bringing positive change in the behavior and attitude of people.

Liaquat Ali Khan
Chitral Pakistan
[email protected]