- Political, military leadership decide to set up high-powered task force to monitor progress of NAP; Intelligence agencies to be provided all the necessary resources and support to safeguard national interest; PM says every effort must be made to implement NAP
- Report presented to prime minister says 8 out of 20 points of NAP have not been implemented at all
The federal government on Thursday decided to set up a ‘high-level’ task force, comprising representatives of all the concerned departments and agencies, to monitor the execution of the National Action Plan (NAP).
A report was presented to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during the meeting on the implementation of NAP which said that eight out of 20 points of the Plan had not been implemented, it was reported Thursday.
The six-hour long meeting, chaired by the prime minister, reviewed the regional and internal security situation of the country, Radio Pakistan reported.
PM Nawaz, while asking to take time bound and result-oriented action to eliminate terrorism from the country, directed that every effort must be made to implement NAP.
Army Chief General Raheel Sharif, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, ISI DG Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar and other senior ministers and officials were present at the meeting.
The participants stressed the need to provide sufficient resources to the intelligence agencies.
The meeting also focused on the latest activities of hostile intelligence agencies to destabilise Pakistan. The participants agreed to scale up the existing efforts to neutralise hostile elements through a coordinated and focused effort.
The meeting stressed that intelligence agencies perform a vital role in guaranteeing national security and safeguarding national interest for which they will be provided all the necessary resources and support.
In the meeting it was reaffirmed that restoration of complete peace and tranquility will remain the top priority of the government and the state institutions.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly had on Monday called for a regular review of the National Action Plan against terrorism to examine its progress and identify hurdles to it for corrective measures after a blast in Quetta’s Civil Hospital killed 72 people.
The meeting was also attended by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi, National Security Adviser Nasser Khan Janjua and other senior officials.
8 OF 20 POINTS HAVE NOT BEEN IMPLEMENTED AT ALL:
A report on NAP’s implementation was also presented to the prime minister which said that there had been no implementation of NAP on eight out of its 20 points.
According to the report, law enforcement agencies and provincial governments could neither stop the funding of terrorists nor were recommendations to conclude criminal cases in less time filed.
It was revealed that extremist outfits had started operating under different names.
Meanwhile, processes to mainstream disenchanted Balochis and to curb sectarianism maintained slow pace.
The session was told that no progress was made regarding reforms in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) which is why the process of repatriation of Afghan refugees is also being delayed. The process has been delayed by six months.
National Action Plan was formed by the Nawaz government in early 2015 after terrorists attacked the Army Public School in December 2014 killing 148 people, mostly students.
The plan called for registration of seminaries across the country and weeding out of extremists.
The prime minister has convened security meetings twice in two days since the terrorist attack in Quetta.
On Wednesday, PM Nawaz addressed the National Assembly and said that the nation is united in the war against terrorism which will be taken to its logical end at any cost.
He strongly condemned the terror attack in Quetta, and said that such incidents cannot deter the resolve of the nation.
The prime minister said the nation will move forward with full strength and completely eliminate terrorism from the country.
Nawaz Sharif also said that the same extremist ideology targeted former PM, Benazir Bhutto, Ismaili community in Safoora Goth, Hazara community in Balochistan, a church and Army Public School in Peshawar as well as prominent people of the country.
