NAP review

The top civilian and military leadership on Wednesday reviewed the implementation of the National Action Plan to counter the menace of terrorism in the country. The meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, concluded that progress on the 21-point counterterrorism strategy was far from satisfactory. The strategy was put in place after the civil and military leadership came to a consensus in the aftermath of the December 16 Peshawar school tragedy. The Wednesday meeting was attended by key government officials, including Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar, Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif and ISI Director General Lt-Gen Rizwan Akhtar. The meeting took place after the army chief was reported to have raised concerns with the prime minister over the implementation of NAP. In April, the corps commanders’ conference expressed concerns over the slow implementation of the strategy. The view is shared by much of the public with a number of major terrorist attacks having taken place after the announcement of Operation Zarb-e-Azb, including Shikarpur, Youhanabad and Safoora Chowrangi. The target of these attacks have been mostly religious minority communities, also raising questions over the seriousness of the government to take on organised militants that are spread across the country, not just limited to the north-west.
The major questions that remain to be resolved include finding a way to curtail the foreign funding of seminaries and terrorist groups, proscribed organisations and sectarian groups. Long-standing proposals for madressah reforms continue to gather dust in the face of pressure by religious groups, which are unwilling to accept that there is a problem inside the elaborate network of religious institutions that has branched across the country. During the review meeting the Sindh government also came under special criticism for not aiding the functioning of the civil-military coordination committees formed at the provincial level. Moreover, the use of military courts remains controversial with the Supreme Court currently overseeing a review of the legality of using such drastic measures to counter terrorism. With over $2 billion spent on anti-terrorism activities and operations since last June, there is little to show in terms of securing the lives of citizens. The question of RAW involvement again cropped up, but the refrain appears to be an easy excuse for an issue that has existed for over 30 years. The Foreign Office has been directed to deal with the issue – which is the correct strategy. The rest of the government should concentrate on dealing with internal threats. Another concern remains the return of the IDPs, which has become controversial due to the oath of allegiance that they are being made to sign before returning without the state promising them security of life and property in return. There is also the issue of barely any independent access to the areas where Operation Zarb-e-Azb is being carried out. Moreover, action against terrorists in urban areas has yet to have effectively started. However, the admission of limited progress is a positive sign and shows that the government is committed to improving its counterterrorism strategies.