President Dr Arif Alvi has said that an ethical, morality and humanity-based world order should be pursued to establish total peace in the world as opposed to an order based upon biases, phobias and vested interests. He added that societies the world over had been endeavouring to pursue total peace by eliminating the kinetic use of force to achieve national or international objectives, albeit with little success. The President expressed these views during a meeting with a delegation of the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS), Islamabad, led by Director PIPS, Mr Muhammad Amir Rana, at Aiwan-e-Sadr, today. During the meeting, the President stressed the need for uniform and fair application of international laws, rules and regulations on all nations and on all peoples equally and fairly without making any discrimination on the basis of colour, creed, race or religious beliefs. He said that total peace in the world may be attainable provided we disregard the concepts of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), Civilized War and Humane warfare. These concepts, he said, were elements of power and circumvented norms of natural justice, professed rules and regulations, and punished the perceived threat unheard and without the due process of law. He said that laws should be framed while keeping in view the larger public interest as against vested interests, biases or phobias. The President said that upholding the Constitution, judicious, impartial and fair application of laws, dispensing justice without fear or favour, and practising authentic and universally accepted norms of democracy which include consultations, discussions and negotiations was essential to resolve issues and to defuse and minimize political polarization to lead the country on the path of peace and prosperity. Referring to the increasing trend of Islamophobia, religious bigotry, and intimidation and chastisement of minorities in India, the President said that such trends and behaviours once unleashed had long-lasting impacts on society and were difficult to reverse. He further said that there was a need to respect the privacy of individuals, and to create a society that was tolerant, open and welcoming to new ideas, innovations and diversity of views and opinions. “Any polarization in society, especially in the political arena, reflects the weakness of institutional mechanisms to deal with issues and challenges, and creates unrest and stress in the society”, he added. The President also advised PIPS to broaden its consultative base, interact and expand its network with the national and international think tanks and stakeholders, enlarge its knowledge base, and carry out active and meaningful consultation with the people’s representatives, public and private bodies, and civil society for strengthening its concepts and ideas. During the meeting, Director PIPS gave a presentation on the “Charter of Peace”, which is a policy document developed by PIPS after consultation with different stakeholders. The document lists all elements necessary for bringing sustainable peace to the country by promoting democracy, upholding the Constitution, human rights and rule of law. PIPS is a research and advocacy think-tank and is an initiative of leading Pakistani scholars, researchers and journalists. PIPS conducts wide-ranging research and analysis of political, social and religious conflicts that have a direct bearing on both national and international security.
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