NEW DELHI: The media has an important role and responsibility in fighting and isolating forces of terror. The battle is to be fought by the journalists, not with guns and tanks, but with their pens and words, information and broadcasting minister Sushma Swaraj said here today.

Inaugurating a Foundation Course in Journalism for a group of 15 Afghan journalists at the Indian Institute of Mass Communications, here today, Swaraj said that the forces of terrorism are still active in our region, and pose a threat to the peace and progress of humanity.

The minister said that the journalists must contribute in the reconstruction and re-building process. The newspapers in Afghanistan, should not only inform the citizens of the country, of the initiatives and programmes of the Afghanistan Government, they should also comment on what needs to be done further, Swaraj said.

Secretary, information and broadcasting, Pawan Chopra, said the electronic media, especially television, plays a great role in initiating thought and action through information. He said India has undergone a revolution in electronic media and the friends from Afghanistan must make the best use of their exposure in this field.

The course is designed to develop trained manpower to meet challenges of the times and more so when the image and the events in the country need to be projected in the right perspective and development and reconstruction efforts of the government need media and information support. Fifteen journalists and government media officers are attending the two-month course.