Intelligence failure?

Valid questions

Strong statements from senators about “failure of intelligence agencies” in last month’s Quetta blast can no longer be dismissed as treasonous, as done on occasion by the interior minister. It is also unfair, as senators from Balochistan and KP rightly noted, to associate attacks in their provinces with threats to CPEC, because the presence of CPEC projects there is, at the most, negligible. That is not to say that CPEC is not an attractive target for Pakistan’s enemies – it is a goldmine. But the defence of such goldmines requires the security machinery to stay ahead of the curve – something that the implementation of NAP would accomplish, as aggrieved senators rightly pointed out on Monday.

There is good reason, therefore, to take the call for a thorough investigation “to fix responsibility” seriously. Such investigations, when done right, reveal lapses, loopholes and problem areas that, yes, may prove embarrassing, but ultimately improve and aid intelligence and security operations – and would definitely aid Zarb-e-Azb. The integration and cooperation between the 26 intelligence agencies of the country (particularly regarding sharing the chatter of the world of intelligence) can no longer be a matter of debate – it is a necessity, the lack of which is, in part, the reason why the country must still bear witness to acts of terror despite the many sacrifices of the armed forces.

And that is not all that needs to be done. Controlling terrorism is a long process. While the armed forces have their part to play, the need to control the narrative is one that, ultimately, the government must fulfil. The executive can ill afford to indulge in the blame game or level accusations of treason against voices of dissent. Because if the pace of the NAP’s implementation is not improved, not only will there be no effective action against terrorism, but the only “resolution” we’ll get on the matter will be like the ones we already get – those that resolve only to condemn.