ISLAMABAD:
As the ever increasing wave of terrorism constantly poses a serious threat to the country’s national security, the civil and military intelligence agencies’ leadership have yet to decide who to make chief of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NCTA), official sources told The Express Tribune.
The military intelligence agencies aspire to head the NCTA, while the federal ministry for interior has projected its minister as the most suitable chief of the body – a proposal not acceptable to the military intelligence community.
“An element of personality clash is the key cause of the tug of war between the intelligence communities,” the source, who requested anonymity, remarked, adding that “the deficit of mutual trust is another reason for the tussle”.
The federal government, as a policy on counter-terrorism, had announced the establishment of NCTA in December 2009 with the prior approval and consent of the country’s law-enforcing agencies.
The idea was to ensure a comprehensive anti-terrorism policy with broad-based coordination and cooperation among all the intelligence agencies and law-enforcing organisations.
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani sanctioned the budget for the anti-terror body while giving his consent for its establishment.
The European Union, while appreciating the decision, pledged 15 million Euros as a token of its support to the NCTA soon after the official announcement. The move was also welcomed by Interpol.
In a meeting, the prime minister said that the NCTA would have three wings – one headed by an educationist or a journalist, another by a senior police officer and the third by an eminent academic for research and analysis.
Gilani hoped that the NCTA would come up with a viable strategy to deal with the law and order situation by countering terrorism.
The ministry of interior, following the approval of the plan appointed senior police officer and former Director-General of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Tariq Pervaiz as the chairman of the NCTA.
However, the NCTA could not produce any considerable result even after the passage of six months since the prime minister convened a high level meeting in July 2010 to activate the body.
The meeting emphasised the need for the formulation of a unanimous policy to curb terrorism in consultation with all stakeholders. Gilani ordered to convene a national conference on counter-terrorism prior to the formulation of the national policy.
“However, all decisions taken by the prime minister during the last 18 months to evolve a comprehensive national policy against terrorism could not materialise due to a tussle with intelligence agencies,” the official source added.
The first chairman of NCTA has reportedly joined an overseas anti-terrorist organisation as an instructor after his retirement and the federal government has
not been able to activate the anti-terror body since, the source added.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 1st, 2011.
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