The Pope was welcome in our great country which is neither a hotbed of terrorists nor a war-torn country as the Western media disdainfully depicts our nation. Aside from his usual call for co-existence between the people of various faiths and the condemnation of radicalisation of our youth, what resonates most with me is his call for dialogue globally to resolve political crises rather than resort to the use of force. The militarisation of conflicts in many parts of the world has created political instability and erosion of peace, and resulted in creating breeding grounds for terrorists.
From Afghanistan to Palestine, Yemen to Syria, Ukraine to Iraq and beyond, the trend is the same — the massive use of military force to eliminate rebels, suspected terrorists and perceived opponents. This policy has regrettably led to enhanced emergence, and proliferation of terrorist groups and dismembering of countries, creating further instability in the world.