- Parliamentary committee approves 18 recommendations for ATNAP, including speedy trial of terrorists and formation of special swift action force
- Differences persist over setting up of military courts and madrassa reforms
The parliamentary committee on evolving recommendations for Anti-Terrorism National Action Plan (ATNAP) Tuesday evolved a consensus on 18 out of 22 proposals put forth by counter-terrorism experts working group.
The committee agreed on taking measures for speedy trial of terrorists, however it failed to decide on the recommendations for setting up military courts across the country and bringing madrassa reforms.
Both the matters have been left at the discretion of the top political leadership which is set to meet today (Wednesday) with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the chair.
During the meeting, the religious parties’ representatives in the committee did not agree to the proposal for bringing in reforms in madrassas and banning hate material on sectarian lines, showing their concerns that these steps could incite violence.
The Muttahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) lawmakers took a firm stand on madrassa reforms, however the matter was deferred.
Following the meeting late on Tuesday night, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Qamar Zaman Kaira flanked by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s Dr Arif Alvi, Dr Shireen Mazari and Awami National Party (ANP)’s Afrasiab Khattak and others told journalists that the matter of military courts has been left for the political leadership to decide due to sensitivity of the matter.
“All political parties have agreed to support the security forces. We will stand by the forces in these difficult times. We have also agreed over conducting speedy trials of the terrorists,” Kaira said.
The political leaders said that the meeting was held in a cordial environment and all recommendations were deliberated upon at length.
The parties agreed to take action against illegal weapons as MQM called for de-weaponising the society.
The committee also agreed over the formation of an Anti-Terrorism Council, to be chaired by the prime minister and represented by Interior Ministry, Pakistan Army, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Intelligence Bureau (IB) and other organisations.
ON SETTING UP MILITARY COURTS:
A source, who was a part of the proceedings of the meeting, told Pakistan Today that initially lawmakers from FATA objected to the recommendation for setting up military courts in FATA alone. They called for treating FATA at par with other parts of the country, the source added.
Mushahid Hussain Sayed of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Dr Farooq Sattar of MQM and Ijazul Haq of Pakistan Muslim League-Zia (PML-Z) favoured military courts’ idea, arguing that the military courts would be able to decide the cases in summary trials and would also have institutional support for proper investigation into the terrorism cases.
Representatives of the PPP and MQM sought time for seeking guidance from their respective political leaders on the issue of setting up military courts while the ANP opposed the idea.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) representatives Dr Farid Paracha and Sahibzada Tariqullah also opposed the proposal of military courts, arguing that this would overlap and bypass the existing judicial system as the courts have already punished the culprits.
While the meeting was in session, ANP leader Asfandyar Wali Khan publicly rejected the idea of setting up military courts despite the fact that his party’s General Secretary Afrasiab Khattak was present in the meeting.
WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS:
The experts working group in its recommendations stressed the need to strengthen the National Anti Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) and formation of a special swift action force to curb terrorists.
It was also recommended that sectarian militants included in fourth schedule of the Anti-Terror Act be arrested and a ban be imposed on the militant organisations and their leaders and they should not be allowed to function under new names. It also called for a ban on hate speech and literature and underscored the need for reforms in the religious seminaries.
The working group suggested action through monitoring internet activities of terrorists by the cyber crimes wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). It also asked the government to protect religious minorities and cancel all the licenses for explosive material.
The working group urged the government to strengthen the provincial government of Balochistan for political reconciliation and take the ongoing Karachi operation to a logical end, smashing the armed wings of the political parties. The experts also recommended that act of glorifying terrorists by media should be considered as a crime.
It is expected that the anti-terrorism plan would be implemented within two weeks of its approval.