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Frequently Asked Questions
 
Pakistan is percieved to be an extremist society. Is this perception correct?
Pakistan being labelled as extremists is one of the most critical misperceptions. Pakistani society is largely moderate which is generally a silent majority. Those extremists are only a small fringe who vocally express themselves hence creating this misperception about Pakistani society.
 
What is meant by the term sustainable democracy?
Muslim nations cannot mirror the Western concept of democracy in its entirety nor do they need to. Their environment, culture and religious background is unique. The concept of sustainable democracy is most suitable to the Muslim world and to Pakistan's history. It means that democracy has to take roots at grassroot level. For that a system of Local government has been introduced during President's government. This new system is meant to enhance the quality of democracy and the duration of democracy. This has been undertaken by a man in uniform. Ironic though it might seem to some, President General Musharraf is a sincere believer of democracy and truly detests cosmetic democracy which gives the air of democracy but is infact a form of tyranny. His statements have been consistent on this subject and he has been aggressively pushing for local governments to take real roots, never faltering even when this process has had its set of teething problems. Indeed for democracy to be sustainable it must grow from the grassroots.
 
What does the President mean when he talks of Enlightened Moderation?
The President has proposed the strategy of Enlightened Moderation for the Muslims to come out of their current impasse and be healthy member of the international community. For this purpose the President has introduced a two-pronged strategy: One prong to be delivered by the Muslim World is to shun militancy, extremism and adopting the path of socio-economic uplift. The other prong to be delivered by the West and the US in particular, must aim at resolutely resolving all political disputes with justice and also assisting in the socio-economic uplift of the deprived Muslim World. For more details please refer to the Enlightened Moderation Articles and speeches.