LAHORE -  Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed can pose a serious threat to the society. This was said by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif at the Munich Security Conference yesterday, reported BBC.

Hafiz Saeed was detained under fourth schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) on January 30. He was arrested in the larger interest of the country, Asif held.

“Terrorism is not synonymous to any religion. Terrorists aren’t Christians or Muslims or Buddhists or Hindus. They are terrorists, they are criminals,” said Asif while addressing the audience.

In a panel discussion on countering extremism and terrorism, the minister said more than ninety percent of individuals killed by terrorists are Muslims.

Strongly opposing the term ‘Islamic terrorism,’ Asif said: “I have heard the term “Islamic terrorism” maybe a dozen times since morning, President Trump uses it frequently and this is fuelling Islamophobia because terrorism is being branded as Islamic terrorism.”

The minister stated the fight against terrorism is a common fight for mankind and humanity, and Pakistan expects and hopes that its brothers across the border from Afghanistan will cooperate to counter this threat.

In a statement harshly criticising the United State’s policies, Asif said Pakistan is determined to fight terrorism: “Let me assure the world community that Pakistan is a frontline state in this war and it will continue to fulfil its obligations to its own people and the international community but if the West’s policies are going to be isolationist it won’t help the fight against terrorism, only fuel it.”

Discussing the armed forces’ performance, the minister admitted that Pakistan made mistakes in the past but continued to say that the country’s armed forces did a commendable job in the past three years.

PAKISTAN, CHINA TAKES COMMON POSITION

INP adds: Pakistan and China, while participating in 53rd Munich Security Conference, reiterated their common position on counter-terrorism, asserting that the West should take non-partisan approach in combating it, in order to ensure peace and development worldwide.

According to a message received in Islamabad on Sunday, Defence Minister Asif said He briefed the conference’s participants about the sacrifices rendered by the people of Pakistan in rooting out terrorism. There should be no double standard in tackling the issues of common concern, he added.

The conference was participating by top officials of various countries, including China, Norway, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Iran.

In his keynote address at a plenary session, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on called on participating countries to adhere to cooperation and make right decisions for achieving the common goal of peace and development worldwide.

Terrorism, he said, is a threat that needed to be tackled in a collective way.

Wang said in two major speeches delivered in Switzerland last month, President Xi Jinping called for building a community of shared future for all and achieving shared and win-win development.

Peace and development are still the main themes of today's world, Wang said.

"We need to remain committed to multilateralism, which is the effective pathway to peace, development and the settlement of global issues," he said.

Multilateralism is not out of date, but should be carried forward, Wang said. And cooperation among big countries needs to be strengthened, he added.

"Big countries have more resources and more capabilities. They have the responsibility and the obligation to play a greater role in maintaining international peace and security and make more contributions to human development and progress," he said.

Wang said that the global governance should be improved so as to solve the imbalances in world development and realise sustainable growth of the world economy.

"China is actively participating in global governance," he told an audience of over 300 people.

Wang said that the world needs to firmly advance all types of regional cooperation as this has proved effective for promoting global development.

Founded in 1963, the annual MSC has become a forum dedicated to promoting peaceful conflict resolution and international cooperation and dialogue.

China first attended conference in 1999.