THE National Counter Terrorism Authority is a good idea that has been poorly developed and executed. Created in 2009, Nacta has been mired in bureaucratic infighting, lack of cooperation across security institutions, a dearth of resources and, for much of its short history, no clear direction or purpose. So it is welcome that Prime Minister Imran Khan convened a first board of governors meeting of Nacta on Tuesday and expressed a willingness to reinvigorate Nacta and provide it with the necessary resources and policy direction. The prime minister’s committee-forming spree has continued with a new team designated to overhaul the working of Nacta — a move that could either compound the confusion in Nacta or, because the committee has prime ministerial backing, act to infuse the organisation with fresh energy and vigour. A revived and effective Nacta would in turn boost the moribund National Action Plan and the country’s overall fight against extremism and militancy.

Through three governments, the struggles at Nacta have proved to be myriad and some of the problems have been easier to resolve than others. But two issues in particular continue to create confusion and uncertainty. Since its inception, there has been a tussle between the Prime Minister’s Office and the interior ministry over operational control of Nacta. Prime Minister Khan is reported to have decided on Tuesday to retain control of Nacta instead of allowing the interior ministry to supervise its operations. While it is critical that Nacta’s permanent staff and secretariat be strengthened — which previous governments have only paid lip service to — a restructuring of Nacta should also definitively settle whether the organisation falls under the direct control of the prime minister or the interior minister. While prime ministerial control would likely increase Nacta’s clout within the state apparatus, the trade-off is that Mr Khan is unlikely to set aside as much time for the organisation as the interior minister could. A sensible decision should be taken and then implemented for the long term.

A second area of concern has been the lack of cooperation extended to Nacta by various arms of the security and intelligence apparatus. As a coordinating body, Nacta can only be as efficient as the willingness of existing security and intelligence organisations to work with it. While Nacta officials have claimed that its coordination role has increased in recent years and that other organisations are more willing to work with the authority, there is still a discernible gap between the civil and military sides of the security and intelligence apparatus when it comes to a willingness to coordinate and work with each other. An empowered Nacta could go some way in helping reduce age-old tensions and suspicions and bring the various arms of the security and intelligence apparatus into closer cooperation with each other. Nothing less than the safety and security of Pakistan and its citizens depends on such cooperation.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2018