The Muslim world is passing through turbulent times since the advent of this decade at the hands of the militants who have distorted the image of Islam. God has described the Holy Prophet (PBUH) as "mercy for the entire world." So, how can this religion be used to spread terror and kill innocent Muslims and non-Muslims mercilessly, in the name of Islam? Pakistan and Afghanistan are the greatest sufferers since both are relentlessly fighting against the terrorists at the cost of human lives, their peace and prosperity. The US that is also threatened by this wave of terror has been helping Pakistan and Afghanistan to get out of this mess. In his first speech at the UN General Assembly, President Barack Obama expressed his determination to crush the extremists who are promoting conflict and distorting faith. They offer nothing, but hate and destruction. The following day Mr Obama announced at the meeting of the Friends of Pakistan that the US Senate has approved compromise legislation to triple the non-military aid to Pakistan to an amount of US$ 1.5 billion a year. The Kerry-Lugar Bill, on which this aid package is based, was passed with bipartisan support. Two great friends of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and China did not attend the meeting. Saudi Arabia has, however, pledged $100 million for the humanitarian efforts of the UN for more than one million people in the northern areas of Pakistan. Now that substantial aid is available one hopes that the government will spend a portion of it to improve the image of Islam which has been badly tarnished by the militants. This impression needs to be dispelled as soon as possible not only in Pakistan and other Muslim countries but also in the western world. This scribe has been emphasising the need for a multilingual satellite TV channel for the Muslim world for quite sometime mainly through OIC which is supposed to represent more than 50 Muslim countries. But this organisation did not respond. Now I am putting this case before the Government of Pakistan. The proposed channel will broadcast in Urdu and English and will engage the viewers in a meaningful discourse on all the aspects of Islamic thought. An interface between Muslims and non-Muslims is most essential to remove the misconceptions about the Islamic ideology. It is also imperative upon us to present on the airwaves of the world the true multifaceted and vibrant Muslim culture from Morocco to Indonesia to broaden the mental horizon of viewers about the world of Islam which is not confined only to Pakistan and Afghanistan. The channel should telecast cultural programmes and documentaries on the history and architecture of Muslim nations. It should also telecast news and analytical programmes from the perspective of the Muslim world, to break the monopoly of the western media. It should also promote trade and commerce among the Muslim world through comprehensive business programmes and stock market reports. In short, the major aim of the channel should be to project the richness and diversity of the Muslim culture and to forcefully counter the negative profiling of Islam. Therefore, the channel will provide a forum to the scholars and intellectuals from the Muslim world to counter the propaganda and disinformation. It will also help to reinterpret the Quranic concepts of religious tolerance and sectarian harmony, peace and respect for human life as against terrorism and fundamentalism. The writer is director news, PTV. E-mai: burhanhasan@hotmail.com