Ever since NAP has been launched, there has been decline in violence in the country. This decline needs to be sustained by simultaneously addressing the much deeper issues, going beyond the militaristic quick fixes. Without addressing those issues, the fear of return to violence lurks behind. It was in late December 2014 that the Prime … Read more
Sectarian terrorists hit a make-shift market in Parachinar on December 13 killing 25 people and wounding more than 60 others. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Al-Aalmi and South Waziristan-based Ansarul Mujahideen separately claimed responsibility for the attack. Historically, Kurram Agency has been a hotspot of sectarian violence between local Sunni and Shia tribes. But in the past few years, … Read more
The December 2 deadly shootout at San Bernardino, United States, by an American couple of Pakistani descents, is raising new questions about their path towards radicalization. Of special curiosity is the embrace of radical ideas by women or the educated youth, especially among the diaspora. Here are two relevant studies PIPS undertook, that may help … Read more
Azam Khan and Aamir Saeed The National Action Plan, announced after the December 16 attack, enlists 20 points meant to fight terrorism in the country. To undertake these points, the government constituted several committees. A central coordinating body NACTA was already tasked to collaborate on counter-terror information. Above all, apex committees comprising civil-military leadership were … Read more
Timeline of NAP actions When? What? The source? Dec. 30, 2014 The five religious educational boards agreed to consider government proposal of adding modern education in their syllabus. Dawn, December 31, 2014, http://www.dawn.com/news/1154216/seminaries-agree-to-consider-incorporating-modern-education. Jan. 1, 2015 The federal government has set up three special courts in three provincial capitals to try terror suspects The Nation, January 2, … Read more
Immediately after the December 16 Taliban attack on Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar last year, Pakistan scrapped a six-year informal moratorium on executions, and approved “execution of death penalty in terrorism-related cases”.[1] The executions had been suspended in December 2008. Within a week, by December 24, the federal government facilitated a ‘national consensus’ on a … Read more
In light of National Action Plan, several military-led special courts have been set up across the country. Today, they operate with secrecy. This sets wrong precedent. In any case, military courts are not the solution to cut in militancy in the long-range. What is needed is a long-term strategy, which, instead of dismantling the constitutional … Read more
One had thought that the horrific terrorist attack on Army Public School in Peshawar in December 2014 would evoke a robust response. Much hope was pinned on the National Action Plan, a list of actions the government announced to fight terrorism in the country.[1]Not least, because the National Counter Terrorism Authority [NACTA], is often taken … Read more
The twenty-point National Action Plan, announced in the wake of Peshawar school attack, carries almost all aspects of countering terrorism, ranging from the all-out violence to extremism/radicalisation. Much of the news about NAP these days revolves around the issues having short-term significance like special courts and military operation. The issues having impact beyond today are … Read more
While the NAP lays down a comprehensive framework for combating the entire spectrum of the terrorist threat in Pakistan, its seventh point calls for taking steps against “re-emergence of banned militant organizations.” Clampdown Almost immediately after NAP was released in January, a spurt of activity followed. Sub committees headed by federal ministers to monitor each … Read more