By NNN-APP,
Islamabad : Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani said government would support setting up of a modern psychotrauma research centre to deal with the psychological effects of terrorist attacks.
Inaugurating here the first international conference on psychotrauma on Saturday, the Prime Minister said “we will ensure implementation of Plan of Action as proposed by the conference to deal with the serious issue.”
He said the nation was confronting a serious challenge in the wake of terrorist attacks, the worst-ever in country’s history, and was having a negative impact on the mental health of the people.
The people of Pakistan have been traumatized by some of the worst terrorist attacks of human history, wherein some of the most important leaders of Pakistan were targeted, he said.
“We have lost one of the greatest leaders of our times Mohtarma Shaheed Benazir Bhutto to a similar heinous act of terrorism.”
“However the nation has the resilience and the courage to stand up to such challenges,” Gilani told the participants who are here to discuss “Trauma in the changing world; challenges and opportunities.”
The conference aims at highlighting similarities and difference between psychosocial fall out of trauma due to natural disaster, terrorism, violence and wars.
Experts from UK, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Australia and Saudi Arabia are participating in the conference.
He said the Pakistan Army was at the forefront in the war against terrorism and was confronting this trauma daily.
“They too have suffered physically and psychologically. The nation does acknowledge their sacrifices,” he said and lauded the role of Army’s Medical Corps.
He recalled the great loss of Surgeon General of Pakistan Army Lt. Gen Mushtaq Baig who fell victim to a suicide attack.
“The psychological and social consequences of these man-made and natural disasters outlive the physical scars left by fires, floods, earthquakes, bullets and bombings,” he said.
The Prime Minister said “the resilience and resolve of our people and the courage of Armed Forces have turned these tragedies into opportunities for studying human behaviour under extreme stress.”
He said natural disasters were impossible to prevent and acts of violence difficult to stem, but their effects on the people can be minimized by preparing to combat them and by building capacity to fight against their aftermath.
He said there was a need to demonstrate the same strength of character as was shown in the aftermath of Oct 2005 earthquake so as to deal with the equally destructive menace of suicide bombings, terrorism, internal war and violence.
The Prime Minister said there was a need to have more centres of excellence on the line of NUST’s Centre for Trauma Research and Psychosocial Interventions.
“The scientific community should know that Pakistan not only has the resolve and commitment but also the intellectual and psychomotor prowess to make a meaningful contribution towards the all important field of psychotrauma,” Gilani said.
Rector NUST Lt Gen Mohammad Asghar said the people of Pakistan were facing unprecedented challenges of terrorism, inflation, rising prices of edibles and instability that were creating psychological problems for the people.
He said there was a need to hold training workshops and creating awareness to deal with the traumatic experiences.
Surgeon General of Pakistan Army Lt Gen Mohammad Rehan Burney recalled the services of his predecessor who fell victim to a terrorist incident.
He said the medical corps remains at the forefront in the war against terrorism and fully understood the trauma that the people had to go through while confronting such challenges.
Brig. Prof. Mawadat Hussain Rana, Advisor on psychiatry said that CTRPI pledges to provide state of the art, comprehensive health care to survivors of all forms of psychotrauma.
He said “natural disaster can strike any where at any time. Readiness to handle these is an essential component of disaster management”, he said.
Mawadat Rana said Pakistan experienced the most devastating earthquake in Oct 2005 that left thousands dead and millions homeless and in a state of shock.
He said the CTRPI has gained significance in an era of man-made trauma in the form of terrorist activities, suicide bombings, violence and war against terror.
The Conference has been organised by Centre for Trauma Research and Psychosocial Interventions (CTRPI) and is a subsidiary of National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST).
It has been founded in collaboration with the Aberdeen Centre for Trauma Research, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.