Defeat the forces preaching extremism and violence in the name of religion

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday called on the people to defeat the forces preaching extremism and violence in the name of religion, saying this trend poses the greatest threat to the security and stability of the country.

"The mindset that increasingly preaches extremism, violence and militancy in the name of religion, and which has been on the rise in the country, is a direct negation of the values for which this country was created," Mr. Zardari said in his message on the eve of Pakistan's Independence Day.

"It is a mindset that poses the greatest threat to the security and stability of the country that was founded on this day... Let us therefore resolve to defeat this pernicious mindset that has promoted suicide bombings, beheading innocent people, torturing women and forcibly closing academies of learning," he said.

Mr. Zardari cited the recent burning of houses and acts of vandalism against the minority Christian community at Gojra in Punjab province as "a manifestation of this mindset". Eight Christians were killed in the recent sectarian violence, sparking protests across the country.