LAHORE – The Centre for Civility and Integrity Development (CCID) at the University of the Punjab on Tuesday hosted its maiden policy consultation on countering violent extremism, held in collaboration with the Punjab Centre of Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism (CoE-CVE) of the Home Department.
The session brought together Punjab University faculty members, social science experts, and provincial government officials to deliberate on national and provincial strategies to curb extremist tendencies.
The meeting opened with a briefing by the CCID director and focal person, who highlighted the centre’s vision and objectives. He underscored the role of educational institutions in promoting civility, ethical conduct and social harmony, adding that strengthening moral development was essential to preventing radicalisation in society.
Dr Ahmad Khawar Shahzad, Deputy Coordination Officer at the Punjab CoE-CVE, briefed participants on the National Policy on Countering Violent Extremism (NPVE 2024) and the integrated provincial framework prepared under the Punjab CoE-CVE Act 2025. He explained the various stages of policy formulation and implementation, as well as the mechanisms adopted for inter-departmental coordination.
Participants discussed the implementation of the CVE policy, its inclusion in academic curricula, and the potential role of universities, media, public organisations and private institutions. The social impact, outcomes, and phases of policy review were also discussed.
At the conclusion of the meeting, it was reaffirmed that the Punjab government would continue its efforts to eliminate intolerance, violent behaviour, and extremist tendencies across the province through a phased, sustained strategy.
It was further decided that a seminar titled “Countering Violent Extremism: Strengthening Civility and Integrity in Society” would be held on December 5, 2025, at Al-Razi Hall, University of the Punjab.
The event will be presided over by Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Ali. At the same time, the Provincial Minister for Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education, Khawaja Salman Rafique, will attend as the chief guest. Former federal minister Ahmer Bilal Sufi and Punjab Home Secretary Ahmad Javed Qazi will serve as keynote speakers.
