PM says provinces’ role in NAP to be restored

Premier says ignoring them for past four years increased terrorism in country

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said the role of the provinces in the National Action Plan (NAP) on terrorism would be restored, adding that ignoring them for the past four years had increased the menace in the country.

The premier was referring to the rise in terrorist attacks in the last four years on the basis of a report prepared by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).

The report read that Pakistan had witnessed a 56% increase in the number of terrorist attacks in 2021. Militants had carried out 294 attacks, martyring 388 people and wounding another 606 in 2021.

“The role of the provinces in the National Action Plan will be restored. It did not exist in the last four years [during the previous PTI regime’s tenure],” the premier said after he chaired a meeting on law and order in Lahore.

After the Army Public School attack on December 16, 2014 that resulted in the martyrdom of 149 people including at least 132 children, a national consensus was evolved to take action against terrorists through a concerted national effort.

A 20-point NAP plan for countering terrorism and extremism was chalked out by the interior ministry in consultation with the stakeholders and approved on December 24, 2014 by parliament.

Also read: PM Shehbaz praises army for defeating terrorism

NAP had spelled out the specifics for the counter-terrorism drive in the country involving provincial governments, which the premier noted on Sunday were allegedly ignored by the previous government. During the meeting, the premier was informed about the latest law and order situation in the country. PM Shehbaz expressed concerns over the rise in street crimes, saying public opinion about police and law enforcement agencies (LEAs) could only be changed through performance.

A briefing was given on the eradication of terrorism and the threats posed in this connection.

Also, measures to curb terrorist financing and enforcement of laws were reviewed.

PM Shehbaz praised the LEAs for fulfilling the conditions of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) -- the world's money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog. He added that the whole nation was unanimously standing against terrorism and stood by its armed forces and law enforcement agencies.

Pakistan, which has been on the FATF’s grey list for several years now, would be removed if it successfully passed the global body’s team’s “onsite visit”, its president Marcus Pleyer had recently said.

The purpose of the onsite visit, he had added, was to verify the completion of the reforms to check whether or not they were sustainable and irreversible.

The premier said the country would continue its struggle till the complete eradication of terrorism. “We will not compromise on Pakistan’s security and defence.” While directing the LEAs to ensure protection of lives and property of the people across the country, he said ensuring law and order was a key requirement for the recovery and development of Pakistan's economy.

Also read: The bane of terrorism

 

The PICSS report had noted that the lethality of terrorist attacks rose by 46% in 2021, with 388 total deaths of which 184 were civilians and the remaining 192 were security forces personnel. This was a 66% increase in the casualties of the security forces from the year before.

It added that over 600 people were injured in the terrorist attacks in 2021, including 389 civilians and 217 security forces personnel.

The report showed that the average number of militant attacks per month in Pakistan increased from 16 attacks per month in 2020 to 25 attacks in 2021 -- the highest on record since 2017.

Balochistan was the most turbulent province in 2021 where 170 martyrdoms were recorded in 103 militant attacks.

The PICSS noted that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa saw 162 attacks leaving 180 people martyred. In Sindh, 15 militant attacks had left 23 martyred. In Punjab, 10 attacks had martyred a similar amount of people.

Three militant attacks were reported in Islamabad, resulting in three martyrdoms while a single attack was reported in Azad Jammu and Kashmir in 2021.

PM’s dinner

The premier will host a dinner for all party MNAs as well as allies on Monday (today) to consult about the economic condition of the country. PM Shehbaz will also brief the participants on the talks with the IMF. Sources said that PM would seek suggestions from the lawmakers to tackle inflation and other economic challenges.