- Working group wants special courts to decide terrorism cases in seven days
- Recommends funds allocation for NACTA to pool intelligence and enhance coordination
The working group tasked to come up with recommendations for an Anti-Terrorism National Action Plan (ATNAP) has urged the government to immediately set up 21 Special Courts across the country for swift disposal of terrorism cases under the Protection of Pakistan Act (PPA).
The ATNAP Committee would meet today (Tuesday) to discuss the recommendations finalised by the working group, which has been busy in hectic deliberations since the past three days to formalise its recommendations on counter-terrorism strategy.
A source privy to the recommendations finalised by the working group told Pakistan Today that the counter-terrorism experts have asked the government to move a summary to the president for institution of separate Special Courts in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) under Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR) or other available legal instruments for disposal of terrorism-related cases within seven days.
He said that the experts had also urged the government to provide immediate funds to the security forces, enabling their capacity building for carrying out operations across the country.
The experts group has further asked the government to ensure immediate allocation of funds for the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NACTA) for better intelligence sharing and coordination between the agencies.
The experts also expressed concern over delay in NACTA’s formation owing to non-allocation of funds despite NACTA Act been passed by the parliament a year back.
The experts have also asked for the repatriation of Afghan migrants as they were playing a major role in fanning extremism and were also facilitating the terrorists. However, the government has already agreed to the United Nations to host the Afghan migrants till year 2015.
Top experts on counter-terrorism are a part of the working group comprising retired bureaucrats and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Counter-Terrorism Wing officers.
The ISI director general, ISI Anti-Terrorism Unit DG, Intelligence Bureau (IB) DG Aftab Sultan, former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) DG Tariq Pervaiz, NACTA Coordinator Hamid Ali Khan, Rustam Shah Mohmand, Azam Khan and former interior secretary Tasleem Noorani attended the meetings chaired by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.
The working group deliberated upon the subject at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat for around 48 hours and formulised its recommendations.
An expert who attended the proceedings, however, termed the entire process “a useless exercise”, saying that a useful anti-terrorism network is available which needed prompt implementation.
“After making institutions, we don’t follow a proper implementation and monitoring strategy. Whenever a breach is made and terrorists hit a big target, the government starts from scratch. Committee formation is the most favourite hobby of the ruling elites,” the expert on counter-terrorism said, however adding that it was unethical to comment over a meeting which he himself had attended just for a national cause and for expressing his support to hunt down the monsters who had butchered around 144 innocent APS school children.
“It is painful to see the rulers start fresh deliberations but not implementing many laws already framed. There is no need for new legislation as counter terror infrastructure is already in place. What the government needs to do is to put in place proper implementation, evaluation and monitoring of counter terrorism institutions,” he said.
Moreover, he added that coordination between the anti-terrorism departments and information sharing by intelligence agencies needed to be institutionalised.
When contacted, Jamaat-e-Islami leader and a member of the committee Dr Farid Paracha said that the committee would take up the recommendations finalised by the working groups today and hopefully a final shape would be given to the document by tonight.
“Though we will be discussing the recommendations of the working group, I also feel that the government needs to strictly implement the existing laws and a zero tolerance resolve should be announced by the leadership. Forming committees after committees is a useless thing,” he added.
Qamar Zaman Kaira, Dr Farooq Sattar, Babar Ghauri, Ijazul Haq, Afrasiab Khattak, Hasil Khan Bizenjo, Akram Khan Durrani, Dr Shireen Mazari, Kalsoom Perveen, Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli, Sardar Kamal, Abdur Rahim Mandokhel, Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Dr Farid Paracha and others are members of the committee.
