Nacta failure

The National Counter Terrorism Authority, given the role of spearheading the battle against terror under the National Action Plan devised by all the political parties after the December 16 school attack in Peshawar, should at this time be abuzz with activity. There is no doubt that stopping the onward march of extremist violence is a national priority, and Nacta was seen as the body best suited to working out and implementing effective measures for this. Instead we see that the organisation remains essentially dormant, starved of both adequate funding and manpower. There has been a failure to direct its way, while the reputation of the body as a ‘dumping ground’ or a place to put incompetent political appointees has meant that virtually no able officer is willing to take up an assignment within it. Nacta, set up in 2009 and given greatly enhanced powers under a 2013 Act, then remains badly hobbled and able to do little to combat the monster of violence that constitutes a huge danger to us. While a Grade 22 DMG officer heads the body as national coordinator, he struggles on virtually unaided. Only 10 of 34 posts within the authority are filled, and all those in Grades 21 and 20 are vacant. In this situation little useful activity can take place and the kind of cohesive counterterrorism strategy devised under NAP can certainly not be worked out.
This is a disturbing state of affairs. As had been widely discussed after the Peshawar incident, it is imperative that we use all the force we can muster to go after terrorists. Otherwise, almost inevitably, more attacks will follow and more lives will be lost. Nacta was set up to counter militancy by training security personnel and laying out measures to be taken in other spheres. By now, nearly three months after the school carnage, activity should be in full swing. Now, after all, is the time to combat violence in society and utilise public opinion in favour of this. Instead what we have is an apparent state of paralysis. Steps need to be taken immediately to end this and inject life into Nacta. The attention of decision-makers at the highest levels is needed. Nacta has to be converted into an active entity if there is to be any hope of dealing with terror. The necessary set of administrative measures needed for this must be put in place and a change brought about in the image of the body by persuading our best anti-terror experts to join it and establish its presence as an organisation able to combat terror by setting out what we need to do for this.