All hiccups removed for Directorate of Internal Security in Nacta

ISLAMABAD: All hiccups and hurdles have been finally cleared for the setting up of the promising Directorate of Internal Security (DIS) in the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) comprising experts from ISI, MI, IB, police and others for better coordination among the official agencies to effectively check terrorism and terror networks in the country.
The creation of the DIS would pave the way to build a systematic mechanism for the much-required coordination between security agencies to fight terrorism. Government sources said that following the approval of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the Finance Ministry has also agreed to provide the required funding for restructuring of the authority in order to make its an effective entity to check terrorism.
“We have endorsed Nacta’s restructuring plan as prepared by the interior ministry and also agreed to provide the required funding,” a senior spokesman for the Finance Ministry told The News, adding that for the first phase of its restructuring, Nacta was being provided around Rs1 billion.
The Interior Ministry had chalked out a comprehensive National Internal Security Policy (NISP) 2014-1018 in early 2014 which includes restructuring of Nacta. However, the project could not take off for want of money.
It was estimated that the whole project would cost the exchequer Rs32 billion as it would include setting up of some new institutions besides strengthening some existing ones including Nacta, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Civil Armed Forces Headquarters and Rapid Response Force.
In the case of Nacta, it was decided that a key institution to be called the Directorate of Internal Security would be established under Nacta to coordinate work of all civilian and military agencies to effectively counter terrorism.
One of the tasks of DIS would be to provide early warnings to law enforcing agencies and other specific recipients with regard to terrorist groups and organisations. The DIS would be led by a DG while its officers and personnel would come from the ISI, IB, MI, Interior Ministry, FIA, civilian armed forces and provincial police.
The DIS would have specialised wings like Intelligence and Analysis Centre, National Internal Security Operational Centre, Operation Planning Centre, Centre Intelligence Team, Air Wing and Rapid Response Force for different operational and analytical functions of Nacta.
The DIS would have special groups focusing all anti-state groups, non-state armed groups, armed wings of political parties, sectarian terrorism and proscribed organisations, criminal gangs and organised crime mafia. The DIS wings would also cover cyber crimes, border control and immigration, financial trials and money laundering, organised crimes and Interpol coordination and international cooperation.
The entire implementation of NISP, it was said, would require an estimated cost of Rs32 billion. Provincial component of the estimated cost was Rs22 billion and Rs10 billion was the estimated cost of the federal component. Nacta restructuring was considered critically important because of lack of coordination between security organisations.
There are 33 organisations in Pakistan at provincial and federal level dealing with internal security. Total strength of these agencies exceeds 600,000 and it is more than standing Army of Pakistan. Because of the absence of any mechanism for their coordinated fight against terrorism, it was conceived that Nacta should be given this job.