Gloves off in Sindh

The Sindh apex committee decided to move against those who are the financiers of terrorist groups in the province

The provincial implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) formulated in the wake of the massacre at the Army Public School in December 2014 has been somewhat patchy to say the very least. The provinces were for the most part unprepared and in some instances unwilling to pick up on what was required of them under the NAP, and apex committees were constituted to ensure there was no backsliding. The Sindh apex committee appears to have now chosen to grasp the nettle, and at a meeting on April 17, decided to move against those who are the financiers of terrorist groups in the province. The committee was informed that “a large number” of terrorists from proscribed groups have been arrested, but we have yet to see any prosecutions.

The chief minister of Sindh was clear in his determination to root out terrorist funding; saying that extortion, the illegal use of water hydrants and kidnapping for ransom were all funding channels for terrorists. Large amounts of arms and ammunition have also been seized, which had been purchased on the black market and do not come cheap, another indicator that very substantial funds are being raised by the terrorists. Also discussed were the computerisation of madrassas and the proliferation of private security agencies, not all of which are necessarily engaged in legitimate work.

The scope of the NAP is very broad, and would challenge any government in its implementation. That it has taken so long for the provinces to gear up and finally start to implement the NAP should not surprise anybody. The NAP represents a paradigm shift in terms of how national security is addressed at a local level, and requires inter-agency coordination where little if any existed before, and a sharpening of bureaucratic responses where before was a sleepy response to security matters if there was any response at all. Cutting off the funds of terrorist organisations by addressing local problems such as illegal hydrants and extortion is a realistic and practical move. We hope that the chief minister is as good as his word.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 19^th, 2015.

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