ISLAMABAD: The government announced the National Action Plan (NAP) to counter terrorism and extremism about three months ago, but its implementation still leaves a lot to be desired on several key fronts. A consolidated report on NAP implementation, prepared recently by the interior ministry and available with Dawn, is vague at best and raises more questions than it answers.

Led by Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan — who is also the focal person responsible for the implementation of the 20-point NAP — the ministry of interior’s account of progress on fronts such as activating the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta), preventing the re-emergence of proscribed organisations and clamping down on terrorists’ communication networks, does not inspire confidence.

Also read: Nacta: a non-starter

On most fronts, the report indicates that there is still a lot of work to be done.

Executions and arrests: Last week, a statement released by the interior ministry put the number of death row prisoners executed since the launch of NAP at 61. However, the report reveals that only 22 of these men were terrorists and does not mention which militant groups they belonged to.

The report also claimed that 292,097 individuals had been picked during 23,878 ‘combing operations’. But of these, only a dismal 140, or 0.05 per cent, had links with terrorists and there was no word on when they would be produced before courts of law or prosecuted for their crimes.


Nacta yet to be fully empowered; joint intelligence directorate only a proposal


A retired senior police officer told Dawn that merely publicising the number of arrests made won’t help achieve the objective the government is pursuing. “It is the conviction rate that is the problem. Unfortunately, the track record of our criminal justice system has not been very encouraging and a lack of evidence and a weak prosecution generally leads to acquittals.”

Nacta: In his address to the nation on the night of Dec 25, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered the “immediate” activation of Nacta and issued special directions to the interior minister in this regard. One of the key requirements for empowering Nacta was the setting up of the joint intelligence directorate.

The report, however, belies the urgency apparent in the PM’s tone, stating very matter-of-factly that a “Proposal for joint intelligence directorate has been prepared.” Moreover, the report mentions only one meeting of the body’s executive committee, which was held on New Year’s Eve, last year.

Talking about the complications associated with activating Nacta, a senior government official said a perennial trust deficit between the civilian Intelligence Bureau and the military-led Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was keeping the authority from becoming an effective and fully operational agency. “Chaudhry Nisar is focusing on this aspect and one can hope that his efforts will bear fruit,” he said.

Terrorist networks and finances: It appears from the report that the government believed that mobile phones were the only means of communication available to terrorists. Indeed, under the heading ‘Dismantling communication networks of terrorist organisations’, the report only lists the verification of SIM cards. According to the report, 56.5 million SIMs have been verified, out of a target of 103 million, as part of the process that ends on April 12.

However, the report makes no mention of madressahs that are known havens for militants. Exactly a year ago, the special branches of Rawalpindi and Islamabad police reported that the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was receiving full support from religious seminaries and places of worship affiliated with the Deobandi school of thought and identified 20 seminaries, all located in Rawalpindi that serve as forward operating bases for terrorists, providing material support to attacks in the twin cities.

In addition, two seminaries were singled out for their involvement in extortion bids aimed at raising money for the militants. Individuals associated with these madressahs served as go-betweens on a number of extortion bids and acted as couriers, carrying messages and money between the extortionists and their victims.

When asked, a senior government official tasked with overseeing the process of NAP implementation told Dawn, “Taking on the madressahs allegedly involved in militancy is a daunting challenge. Soon after the government started monitoring these seminaries, religious parties across the board were up in arms.”

Proscribed organisations: When launching NAP, the prime minister had announced that special measures would be taken to guard against the re-emergence of proscribed organisations. But on paper, all that the interior ministry has to say on the subject is that consultations are underway with the provinces in this regard.

The report does not mention the number of banned organisations that have re-emerged under different names. The interior ministry has even removed the list of proscribed organisations from its website following a media controversy over the alleged banning of the Jamaatud Dawa and the Haqqani Network.

This lack of transparency does not inspire much confidence in the government’s campaign against such groups and has led many to question its resolve to actually move against banned organisations. In January, an official interior ministry press release claimed that the government had tracked down 95 extremist organisations in Punjab alone, but has yet to release any details of who these groups are and what action has been taken against them.

Militancy in Punjab: During his speech to the nation on Dec 25, PM Sharif made a rare admission when he accepted the presence of militant groups in Punjab and vowed to go after them come what may.

However, all the NAP implementation report has to say on the matter is that the “Punjab government is actively pursuing government policy in this regard.” There is no explanation of what this policy is and what actions have been taken.

The report also mentions de-weaponisation and de-radicalisation programmes that have been launched on a pilot basis, but does not mention what areas were being targeted by these programmes.

In stark contrast to the vagueness about Punjab, the report goes into considerable detail on the Karachi operation claiming that since the launch of the law-enforcement action, targeted killings were down by 57 per cent, extortion by 37 per cent, murders by 36 per cent and robberies by 24 per cent. The report also mentions that 35,937 criminals have been arrested during the course of this action, but does not have any such information about the action against militants in Punjab.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2015

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