NAP not a quick fix solution, says Nisar

Plan requires persistent efforts of entire nation,
institutions to eliminate scourge of militancy

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Friday that National Action Plan (NAP) was not a quick fix solution as it was an action plan where all the faculties and institutions of the government had to persistently make efforts to completely eradicate the menace of militancy and terrorism.

The minister said that effective implementation of the NAP required all stakeholders to put in their best and ensure constant monitoring, supervision and course corrections.He was addressing at National Defence University (NDU) on the internal security policy of the country and NAP.

The address was attended by senior civil and military officers of the country as well as senior military officers from 23 countries.The minister during his address observed that intolerance, extremism and terrorism had been plaguing the country for decades.

The journey now, he said, to a tolerant and progressive society was a long, painful and arduous task in which the country had made a lot of sacrifices.This road to return was not an easy path but the state and the people of Pakistan with the help of its security agencies and the armed forces were determined to reverse the trend and a visible difference could be seen today in this regard, the minister added.

In his address, the minister while giving an in-depth overview of various external and internal dynamics of the internal security policy of the country said that administrative failures in past, frail criminal justice system, inconsistent or at times absence of policies on vital issues were the major factors that created serious challenges towards internal security of the country.

Besides, various developments at regional and international level and the interests of major powers also left serious imprints on the security of the country.Those external and internal factors, the minister said, resulted in creation of a situation where one could easily see polarisation in a society which faced existential threats from inside as well as outside.

However, the minister said, the Army Public School, Peshawar incident united the nation to collectively say no to the extremist ideologies and to rise as one entity in confronting the monstrosity of militancy and terrorism.Discussing the NAP, the minister said it had resulted in visible decline in terrorist incidents with marked improvement in overall law and order situation.

He said that as a result of efforts by the law enforcement agencies, life had got back to normal across the country and even in Karachi and Quetta the situation had significantly improved as compared to the past. It must be emphasised, the minister said, that the threat had been minimised and not totally removed. “We need to be watchful and do everything to keep the momentum on,” he added.

While concluding his remarks, the minister reiterated that NAP was a national plan and its implementation was a shared responsibility of federal and provincial governments, various ministries, divisions and state institutions.The address followed by a candid discussion where the participants interacted with the minister and raised various questions related to the topic.