Govt plans project to de-radicalise militants in KP

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has worked out a programme to de-radicalise the militants and a scheme costing Rs65 million has already been approved for the purpose.
This is the second project for the de-radicalisation of the Taliban and other militants who have been apprehended and convicted in terrorism-related cases by different courts of law in the province.
The first one being executed by the Pakistan Army was launched after the 2009 military operation in Swat. Both the projects have been reflected in the Annual Development Programme of the Home and Tribal Affairs Department.
The De-radicalisation Programme for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the new project reflected in the previous ADP of the Home department costing Rs65 million. It will be implemented in various jails of the province where militants are confined, the project concept paper said.
The first project to de-radicalise the militants was started as non-ADP scheme in 2010 with a total cost of Rs230 million. The De-Radicalisation Programme was initiated by the Pakistan Army after military operations Rah-e-Haq and Rah-e-Raast in Swat that uprooted the organised movement of extremists, saboteurs and terrorists in the valley.
The paper said the programme was started to restore stable peace, ensure social harmony, remove misunderstanding about religious dicta and give back the erstwhile princely state its humane image. It was also planned to win back the mistaken militants and deny the hardcore extremists any space to find new entrants to their ranks.
The concept paper noted that around 1,241 people have benefited from the project, but de-radicalisation is a difficult and tedious process involving numerous intangible facts warranting continuation for long-term peace and stability.
It was suggested that due to a large number of apprehended persons in the internment centre, the programme must continue for at least one or two more years. The provincial government after the revision of the PC-1 of the project approved it with cost of Rs291 million during the last fiscal.
The provincial government at the same time approved its own project for the purpose of de-radicalisation of militants apprehended from other parts of the province.The project concept paper admits that the seeds of militancy and radicalisation still exist in the society at large and the present war-torn society is conducive for producing militants. Therefore, a full-fledged and holistic campaign engaging all departments and relevant segments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa needs to be undertaken to de-radicalise the society.