Terrorism should not be linked to any particular faith or religion, the Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Thursday at the World Economic Forum.

 

Aziz, whose country is troubled by the notorious terrorist group al-Qaeda and religious extremists, explored the root causes of terrorism during a panel discussion titled "The Comprehensive Response to Terrorism."

 

"Terrorism is not a friend of anybody. Terrorism is not linked to any faith. It is a mindset we are dealing with," Aziz told the panel, attended by the US Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff, the British Conservative leader David Cameron and Gijs M. de Vries, the counter-terrorism coordinator of the Council of the EU.

 

Aziz said that terrorism is rooted in the feelings of deprivation, desperation and lack of hope.

 

Terrorism is a universal problem that needs to be tackled at several levels, Aziz said.

 

"There must be a will to resolve the issues.… No country is immune from it. It is now a global phenomenon, it is a collective problem for all of us."

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 26, 2007)