Much to cause concern
Clearly the terrorists are regrouping faster than the government is able to roll out the National Action Plan (NAP). There have now been three audacious attacks since APS – Shikarpur, Peshawar, Lahore – and there are no signs that the security situation is on the mend. Once again there was prior intel, and once again (numerous) security agencies could not process available information in time. True, the Police Lines could not be breached, which the government counts as a success of sorts, but that is not what really matters in such incidents.
What matters is that terrorists were, once again, able to plot and move at will. Extensive and complicated logistics chains have to be erected every time there is such an operation; people are transported, so is material, explosives, etc. It is during the planning and reconnoitering stages that agencies usually pick up ‘chatter’. But the problem in our particular case is continued breakdown of the process after intelligence is received. And that is where NAP was supposed to have ironed out irregularities and inefficiencies. But the proof of the pudding lies in the eating. And so far the prime minister has been tall on promises, but the government has made no impressive movement since Dec16. The enemy, meanwhile, seems living out its threats of reprisal to the letter.
The government’s inaction is becoming more concerning with time. It was hoped, in the aftermath of the school tragedy, that there would finally be more action and less talk. Yet it’s not just that the government has been unable to pre-empt high profile attacks, it’s that it is not taking action even where it can. The matter of seminaries is a good example. It is still not clear – at least to the public – what the government plans to do about madrassas that provide a pro-militancy environment, and those that continue to receive foreign funding. It speaks volumes that the Punjab police finally found around 1,000 such seminaries, funded from at least 17 countries, yet still needs to ask for FIA and interior ministry help to complete its investigation; which may or may not be forthcoming. It seems there are just too many bottlenecks in the NAP to present the enemy much problems for the time being. The government must examine these loopholes very carefully and ensure such errors are not repeated. So far, there’s not much to write home about.
