A long and winding road

Any self-respecting interior minister would have resigned after the damaging judicial report about his ministry’s ‘monumental failure’ to combat terrorism or even institutionalise basic protocols to implement the NAP. The court’s findings are based on evidence presented to it by high level bureaucrats. Nisar agreed to head 12 committees out of total sixteen formed to implement the NAP. This required putting his shoulder to the wheel and working overtime to fulfill the responsibility. While some of the foreign governments immediately banned notorious networks like JeM and LeJ al-Alami after they owned the attacks in order to protect their people, Nisar took several months to take action despite goading from Balochistan government. There was no justification for delay as the Anti-Terrorism Act (AT) authorises the federal government to proscribe any organisation it considers to be involved in terrorist attacks. The undue delay in taking action indicates that the interior minister is either incapable or unwilling to play the role required of him in combating terrorism. The attitude has provided encouragement to extremists.

Sindh assembly has sought security to 13 MPAs including three ministers and also a bureaucrat after provincial intelligence department warned there was a threat to their life. They had played a leading role in getting the bill against forced conversions passed despite opposition from religious parties, some of which are federal government’s allies. The special branch has also warned of a possible siege of Sindh Assembly which had passed the bill. If the federal and provincial governments fail to act firmly extremists would pressurize the assemblies to make laws in accordance with their dictates. This would be followed by pressurising courts to write judgments as dictated by the crowds.

Unless the NAP is enforced in letter and spirit there is a likelihood of the country relapsing into the pre-Zarb-e-Azb situation once the army goes back to the barracks and the Rangers are removed from Karachi. In case this happens the gains made during the military operation are likely to be reversed.