Faisalabad: December 19, 2015. (PCP) A candlelight vigil entitled “Defeating Extremism and Terrorism with Education” under Rawadari Tehreek was held outside the District Council in Faisalabad on 15th December 2015 to honour the courageous martyrs of Peshawar tragedy, where 145 people including; 132 children sacrificed their lives last year during attack on Army Public School. The event was organized by the Peace and Human Development (PHD) Foundation, the Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation (AWAM) in collaboration with the Peace for Nation International (PNI), and the Centre for Human Rights Education (CHRE). At this juncture, the participants paid rich tribute to the brave souls who gave away their lives to protect the lives of others. They lit candles in the memory of martyrs, and carried banners and placards inscribed with statements extending support to ongoing operations against extremist and militant organizations operating in the country, and demanding strategic plan of action for peace and tolerance in the society. The participants also demanded that the government of Pakistan must ensure effective and full implementation of the unanimous national action plan to stamp out scourge of extremism and terrorism from the country, and announce 16th of December as the National day against extremism and terrorism in solidarity with all the victims of terrorism, and also as a sign of our commitment against religious extremism, intolerance and terrorism. Speaking on the occasion, the director of the Peace and Human Development (PHD) Foundation, Suneel Malik, “There is a lack of progress in core areas of the National action plan; including decisive action against proscribed organizations, reforms in religious seminaries, structural reforms in FATA, and reforms in criminal justice system. The government has failed to activate National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) and establish a joint intelligence-sharing directorate for coordinated action, and build a democratic counter-narrative to defeat the extremist religious narrative.” “The government must establish independent and autonomous National Commission for the Rights of the Child by passing legislation to continuously monitor the children's issues and crime against them,” he demanded. The director of the AWAM, Nazia Sardar said, “There is a need for investment in the alternative means particularly broader program to tackle the root causes and various facets of hate, beginning from the educa¬tion sector to state-level campaigns involving civil-society led initiatives, which will serve as best antidote to combat extremism, inequality and structural discrimination.” “We cannot forget the heart-rending courage of innocent children who embraced martyrdom during attack on school perpetrated by seven militants on 16th December 2014, the blackest day in the history of Pakistan,” she added. A member of the Punjab Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW), Shazia George said, “Attack on humanity is a failure of government to protect the lives of citizens. It is the fundamental duty of the state to provide protection to the general public.” “The government must constitute a task force to devise a strategic plan of action for promoting religious tolerance and pluralism, and introduce a new legislation to defeat sectarianism,” she demanded. A human rights activist, Naseem Anthony said, “Regrettably, major points of National Action Plan (NAP) have not been implemented so far, therefore there is a need for implementation of the unanimous NAP in letter and spirit, so that the sacrifices rendered by our young heroes and the nation do not go in vain.” “The govt. should take concrete steps and adopt an appropriate strategy against terrorism and the mind-set of those who spread fear and violence across the country,” he demanded. A lawyer, Hashmat Barkat said, “Terrorism cannot be eradicated without fighting extremism, so military operations also have to be conducted on the civil front to win the war against extremist elements.” “The sectarianism will not come to an end unless hate is rooted out that is entrenched within our textbooks, that is sown in sermons across Pakistan and casually thrown about in drawing room conversations,” he demanded. A peace activist, Shafiq Sharif said, “Pakistan has the second largest out-of-school population in the world with 7.3 million children of primary age not attending any school. It is the prime obligation of the state and duty bearers to ensure implementation of the Article 25-A of the constitution of Pakistan regarding the right to free and compulsory education for all children between the ages of 5 and 16 years.” A political activist, Arif Ayaz said, “The banned sectarian and militant outfits have been allowed to resurrect under new names behind the cover of welfare or charity work. NACTA remains dysfunctional, and religious fanatics who have publicly sought assistance of extremist and criminal ‘Daesh’ are roaming free, which indicate that the writ of the government is nowhere.” A social activist, Irshad Parkash said, “A joint committee of religious scholars hailing from major sectarian and religious groups must be established to approve the syllabus for schools and seminaries for the prevention of hate material on sectarian and religious basis, and awareness material regarding different faiths must be included with due respect without hurting sentiments of faith practitioners.”