Anti-terror policy

Pakistan once again is at the crossroads of redefining its anti-terror policy. The rise in violence and meddling from extra-territorial elements, especially in the wake of Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, has pushed Islamabad to the brink. An escalation of around 83% in terrorist attacks in the last five months needs to be given a befitting response, and that is exactly what the civil and military leadership is contemplating. A two-pronged strategy at work is of diplomatically engaging Kabul to do the needful by reining in the terror apparatus, and at the same time going out to exterminate non-state actors holed inside Pakistan.

The apex committee of the National Action Plan (NAP), which deliberated over the options and decided to make a move, will be better advised to take the parliament on board. Exterminating the terror network is a national resolve, and should be a state vs terrorists approach, rather than painting it as a secluded kinetic operation launched by the armed forces. There are precedents wherein the approval to launch Operation Zarb-e-Azb in 2014 came from the parliament, in the backdrop of gruesome APS killings. And subsequently, the 20-point NAP and NACTA were devised with consensus. With the security forces having fought with bravery more than a dozen operations in the restive zones bordering Afghanistan, it’s time for ensuring that tangibles on the diplomatic and military horizons are fully harnessed, and that too in unanimity.

Taking all the stakeholders on board is a must, including the government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which is supposed to be the theatre of operation. It is incumbent upon the powers-that-be as well as the civilian strata to be on the same page, and address the fissures of terrorism without jumping over the gun. Security and serenity is sine qua non for progress and prosperity, and the multibillion dollar geo-economic projects, including CPEC and connectivity with Afghanistan and beyond, demands astute resilience and a carefully choreographed national policy. Let the parliament be the springboard of decision-making to grant the offensive its due legitimacy and vitality.