Agencies’ coordination mechanism — a real challenge

ISLAMABAD: Key civil-military intelligence and the security agencies are still far from developing a coordinated working relationship, which is vital to effectively check terrorism.

Despite the realisation by all concerned, no mechanism has been evolved as yet to accrue the full benefit from the working of innumerable security agencies, which in certain cases are still plagued with inter-service rivalries.

Background interactions reveal that while the nation expects from these security agencies to do their best to save the lives of people, these agencies are still not fully cooperating with each other. “If we ensure better coordination between these agencies, the results would be miraculous,” a key security official said, lamenting that this is not the situation at present.

Although Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had announced his intention to make full use of the coordinated effort of the security and intelligence agencies, it has not become possible as yet. However, it is claimed that the situation is better than before but still far from satisfactory.

“Without the prime minister’s personal intervention and keenness, it can’t happen,” a source said, adding that such coordination between security agencies could only become possible in other countries with the direct intervention and monitoring of the chief executive.

Some of the security agencies have started developing greater understanding for coordinated efforts to meet the security challenges faced by the nation but the nature of cooperation is neither up to the mark nor reciprocal. In the case of Karachi, the sources said that the coordination between security agencies is far better than in any other part of the country. The recent improvements in the area of counter-terrorism are generally attributed to the present level of coordination between agencies, which if improved could do miracles.

One major problem faced by most of these security agencies is that they act by some of giving all credit to a few while ignoring the good work of others. A provincial inspector general police recently complained that in a recent terrorist attack while the policemen killed the terrorists yet there was no mention of their extraordinary work.

It is said that the acts of crediting some with all good work and ignoring others despite their extraordinary role causes inter-service rivalries and dents the overall performance. “Such a policy should be reviewed and there should be a strategy of appreciating the work of all without any discrimination to achieve the best possible results,” a source said.

The sources underline the importance of establishing a formal mechanism where all the spy agencies and law enforcing entities are made to coordinate with each other under a well-defined system.

It is said that in its National Internal Security Policy, the interior ministry had envisaged such a mechanism early last year but despite having been covered in NACTA, it has not been practiced as yet even after the announcement of the National Action Plan.

The federal government has 33 organisations constituting the entire national security apparatus with a total strengthen exceeding 600,000, which is more than the standing army of Pakistan.

The 33 internal security agencies include the ISI, IB, Nacta, Federal Police, GB Police, Federal Police, AJK, AJK Border Police, Khasadar Fata, MI, Air Intelligence, Naval Intelligence, Maritime Security Agency, Airport Security Force, FIA, FC KP, FC Balochistan, Pak Rangers Punjab, Pak Rangers Sindh, Coast Guards, GB Scouts, ICT Police, Anti-Narcotics Force, Frontier Constabulary, Federal Levies, Motorway Police, Federal Board of Revenue Intelligence, Railway Police, four provincial police, their special branches, CIDs and Balochistan Levies, Border Military Police DG Khan and Chitral Border Police.