Faisalabad: February 29, 2016. (PCP) A protest demonstration entitled “Stop Hate Speech, Extremism and Terrorism” under Rawadari Tehreek (Tolerance Movement) was jointly staged by the Peace and Human Development (PHD-PAK), Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation (AWAM), and Centre for Human Rights Education (CHRE) held outside Press Club in Faisalabad on 11th February 2016. At this juncture, the participants termed NAP as ‘No Action Plan’, and rebuked the government for taking terrorism lightly and not implementing the National Action Plan effectively. They were carrying banners and placards inscribed with statements demanding an extension of military operations against extremist and militant organizations across the country including; Punjab Province. They demanded that the government must devise a solid strategy to eliminate the extremists, terrorists, and their facilitators and financiers once and for all, and ensure effective and full implementation of the unanimous national action plan to stamp out scourge of extremism and terrorism from the country. Speaking on the occasion, the director of the Peace and Human Development (PHD-PAK), Suneel Malik said, “Since National Action Plan (NAP) is a consented document and our future lies in the implementation of NAP in its letter and spirit, therefore the government needs to show seriousness by calling All-parties Conference (APC) and taking the opposition parties on board to help easing the impediments in NAP implementation, and critically examine the manner in which the NAP, and military operations against terrorist outfits are being executed to wipe out the menace of terrorism from our homeland.” “It is sad that the government has no idea as to how many proscribed sectarian and militant outfits are still operating under old names or resurrecting under new names behind the cover of welfare or charity work,” a peace activist added. The program director of the AWAM, Naseem Anthony said, “The government’s performance is abysmal failure in critical areas of the NAP, be it choking terror financing, disallowing re-emergence of extremist outfits, and taking action against militant groups in Punjab, taking effective steps against religious persecution as envisaged under the NAP, the government is failing on all fronts.” “The government must set up a parliamentary oversight committee on national security to monitor and review the counter-terrorism efforts of the federal and provincial governments as well as concerned agencies to further improve the performance under NAP,” he added. A member of the Punjab Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW), Shazia George said, “Pakistan is fighting one of the largest inland wars ever fought against terrorism in the world, but this war can only be won by creating a national narrative and investing in the alternative means particularly broader awareness program to eradicate the roots and various facets of hatred, which will serve as best antidote to combat extremism, inequality and discrimination.” A lawyer, Syed Mujahid Hussain Gilani said, “The government has miserably failed to put the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NACTA) in automation and use it as an active tool of intelligence sharing mechanism among the federal and provincial law enforcement apparatus and then proper dissemination of the information to the relevant quarters.” “The religious fanatics who have publicly sought assistance of extremist and criminal ‘ISIS’ are roaming free, which indicate that the writ of the government is nowhere. It is pertinent that the government reviews the policies it has been pursuing for last few decades,” he added. A peace activist, Irfan Gill said, “The government should take concrete steps and adopt an appropriate strategy against terrorism and change the mind-set of those who spread fear and violence across the country, and must constitute a task force to devise a strategic plan of action for promoting religious tolerance and pluralism.” A political activist, Arif Ayaz said, “Terrorism cannot be eradicated without fighting extremism. If the government truly wants to uproot the menace of terrorism, then simply treating the symptoms will not serve the purpose, but root causes of extremism need to be addressed. Therefore, terrorism will continue in Pakistan unless the policy of supporting militant groups in Afghanistan is stopped.”