National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) Chairman Ihsan Ghani on Tuesday said that there has been a ‘clear’ decrease in sectarian violence in the country and terrorist acts have also significantly reduced.
Ghani expressed these views, while presenting a report on the National Action Plan (NAP), in the NA Standing Committee on Interior.
Ghani said that 37 incidents of sectarian violence and 426 acts of terrorism took place in the country this year. In the latest US country report, India ranks higher in terrorism cases, with Pakistan down at the fourth place, the report says.
The report highlights various steps taken to curb terrorism and terrorist networks in the country: 98.3 million SIMs were blocked and a biometric verification system for SIM verification has also been implemented in the country, said the report. Multiple passports of suspects were also blocked, it stated further.
Militancy in Punjab has significantly reduced in the rural areas, the lawmakers were told.
Ghani said that search operations using intelligence sharing were conducted in cooperation with provinces to eliminate armed militias. Special units in all provinces have been established to prevent monetary support of terrorists, the report said.
The report further states that 8,333 people have been placed on the fourth schedule, 5,023 accounts were frozen countrywide, and an amount of Rs300 million was frozen.
Sixty-six organisations are banned in Pakistan while the United Nations has banned 164 organisations in the country, the report states.
Terming the Karachi Operation a part of NAP, Ghani said that terrorism in Karachi has decreased by 98 per cent, target killing tanked by 97 per cent and robberies has decreased by 52 per cent in the city. Murder was down by 87 per cent in the city, the report said.
According to the report, 1,353 First Information Reports were filed against hate speech, while 17,000 cases were lodged against violation of laws relating to loudspeakers.
While talking about other initiatives taken by NACTA, Ghani said that the authority is analysing the quality of prosecution in terrorism cases, for which it has sought details of terrorism cases from all provinces. The authority plans to study the cases and coordinate with provinces to improve prosecution, if need be.
