ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Defence referred a bill suggesting steps to curb extremism to the Cabinet Secretariat af ter defence ministry officials said the bill did not fall within their domain.

Headed by Shaikh Rohale Asghar of the ruling PML-N, the committee took the decision when during deliberations on the National Centre for Countering Violent Extremism Bill 2017, officials from the Ministry of Defence declared that the draft legislation did not pertain to their ministry as matters relating to the country`s internal security fell within the domain of the Ministry of Interior.

The Cabinet Secretariat has been asked to suggest whether the bill pertains to the ministry of defence or the ministry of interior.

Besides reviewing the bill, the committee also passed unanimous resolutions condemning `the hostile and threatening statements` made by US President DonaldTrump and top US Commander in Afghanistan Gen John W. Nicholson against Pakistan, and the violence against the Muslims in Myanmar.

The bill had been moved by PML-N MNA Romina Khursheed Alam as a private member`s bill in May this year. Ms Alam briefed the committee members about the purpose and salient features of the bill.

At the time of introducing the bill in the assembly, the PML-N lawmaker had said the bill aimed at consolidating the successes achieved by the present government, the armed forces and other state institutions in the fight against terrorism. She said there was a need to formulate a national policy to check the trend of increasing extremism in society, particularly among the young generations and those studying in the country`s educationalinstitutions.

She said the young people, particularly students, were being trapped by extremist elements.

In order to engage the youth in the efforts against terrorism and extremism, there is a need for setting up a body whose main task should be to formulate policies to counter extremism and create awareness among the youth about the danger posed by the extremists to the existence of the country.

Interestingly, the committee took up the bill when newspapers reported that the alleged mastermind of last week`s attack on Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Khwaja Izharul Hassan was a student of Karachi University`s AppliedPhysics Department and his father was also a retired professor of the university.

One of the assailants later identified as Hassaan was a lab technician at the Dawood University of Engineering and Technology and he was killed under controversial circumstances.

The proposed bill suggests formation of a National Centre for Countering Violent Extremism headed by a director general and a 14-member board of governors whose chairman will be the defence minister.

Three MNAs to be nominated by the National Assembly speaker and three senators to be named by the Senate chairman will be the members of the board besides the director general of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and representatives from the ministries of education, interior and Higher Education Commission (HEC).

The main responsibilities of the proposed centre will be to `identify risk factors that contribute to violent extremism in communities and potential remedies for public and private institutions; identify population targetted by violent extremist propaganda, messaging or recruitment; manage outreach and engagement efforts directed towards communities and areas at risk for radicalisation and recruitment for violent extremist activities; ensure all activities related to countering violent extremism to fully respect the privacy, civil rights and civil liberties of all citizens and assess the methods used by violent extremists to disseminate propaganda and messaging tocommunities at risk for rasdicalisation and recruitment.

Through the bill, the mover has also suggested establishment of centres for peace and conflict management studies in universities.

The statement of objects and reasons attached to the bill states that `the bill intends to enhance national integration and inclusion through coordinated efforts to accomplish the objectives of the National Action Plan (NAP) 2015 and to comprehend the menace of violent extremism, ethnic polarisation and religious fragmentation or intolerance.

RESOLUTIONS: The members of the committee took strong exception to the hostile and threatening statements of the US leadership against Pakistan and also passed a resolution condemning them.

`The committee rejects the claim of the US president regarding Pakistan`s safe haven for terrorists as 40 per cent area of Afghanistan is not under the control of the Afghan government,` says the resolution.

The committee, it adds, further rejects (US President) Trump`s claim that billions of dollars in aid had been spent on Pakistan, adding Pakistan`s economy had suffered a loss of more than $123 billion.

Through another resolution, the members `strongly condemned the massacre of Muslims in the hands of the Myanmar government and urged the United Nations to condemn the massacre of the Burmese Muslims and play their role in preventing the atrocities.