Troubleshooting inefficiencies: Counter-terrorism authority berated over performance
With over Rs524m spent, NACTA has little to boast about, Senate panel told.
ISLAMABAD:
The country’s top counter-terrorism authority has spent over Rs524 million in counterinsurgency efforts to battle violence and extremism but ended up producing only a brief documentary and a couple of research papers since its establishment four years ago.
The National Counter Terrorism Authority’s (NACTA) main objective was to foil terrorist acts in the post 9/11 scenario following an unprecedented rise in militancy and terrorism in Pakistan. To envisage liaising between civil and military intelligence agencies was its secondary purpose. But lawmakers have observed that the body has been fruitless in achieving its targets: “NACTA has completely failed to serve its objective,” officials told a Senate Panel on Wednesday.
Lawmakers expressed reservations over NACTA’s performance hours before the federal cabinet approved a draft law to establish a new counter terrorism body aimed at better coordination efforts to defeat terrorists.
Then prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani ordered the creation of NACTA under an executive order in December 2008 when NACTA’s former director general (DG) Tariq Pervaiz floated the idea after getting superannuation as the DG of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
NACTA Deputy Coordinator Arif Akram informed the Senate Standing Committee on Interior that the body spent some Rs13 million in 2008, Rs210 million in 2009, Rs102 million in 2010 and 2011 each and this year the Ministry of Finance allocated Rs97 million to it for the current fiscal year.
After receiving these details, Senate Panel Chairman Senator Talha Mehmood observed: “NACTA has now become an official NGO (non-governmental organisation). The government will have to reassess its importance.”
After a detailed briefing, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Fateh Hassani hit hard on the man who had floated the idea. “NACTA has lost its utility,” he claimed. The Senate panel has also summoned the body’s pioneer, Pervaiz, for a detailed briefing on the idea he had floated to curb militancy in Pakistan.
In its defence, NACTA’s Research and Planning Director Khizer Hayat Nagra told the committee that the body had prepared a number of research papers, including Causes and remedies in Swat turmoil, Trends of terrorism in Pakistan and Dynamics of why people join religious militancy.
He said they were presented before the government besides a documentary called ‘Battle for Paradise’ which was about religious militancy in Swat.
However, there is a long list where NACTA failed to complete its projects. It was unable to prepare a research paper titled: Study on Flaws in Terrorist Prosecution in Pakistan. A research paper titled: Proposing a Counter IED understanding has still not been published either.
The authority also failed to prepare ‘Radicalisation in Pakistan: Problem Analysis and Future Strategies for De-radicalisation’ which it was supposed to present it to the government last month. Two projects relating to ‘Data mining of terrorist incidents and terrorist profiling’, and ‘Compendium on CT Laws in Pakistan’ also could not be finalised due to unknown reasons.
Paper shortage
While discussing other matters, passport authorities informed the Senate panel that over 200,000 passports could not be delivered in time due non availability of paper.
They requested lawmakers to direct the Ministry of Finance to release funds so that the passport office could pay its liability to the Security Printing Press.
“Currently, we produce 6,000 to 7,000 passports daily but we have a capacity of producing over 20,000 if the government provides us papers freely,” officials said.
The panel will visit the finance ministry office today (Thursday) to ensure the release of funds to passport office for this purpose.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2012.
The country’s top counter-terrorism authority has spent over Rs524 million in counterinsurgency efforts to battle violence and extremism but ended up producing only a brief documentary and a couple of research papers since its establishment four years ago.
The National Counter Terrorism Authority’s (NACTA) main objective was to foil terrorist acts in the post 9/11 scenario following an unprecedented rise in militancy and terrorism in Pakistan. To envisage liaising between civil and military intelligence agencies was its secondary purpose. But lawmakers have observed that the body has been fruitless in achieving its targets: “NACTA has completely failed to serve its objective,” officials told a Senate Panel on Wednesday.
Lawmakers expressed reservations over NACTA’s performance hours before the federal cabinet approved a draft law to establish a new counter terrorism body aimed at better coordination efforts to defeat terrorists.
Then prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani ordered the creation of NACTA under an executive order in December 2008 when NACTA’s former director general (DG) Tariq Pervaiz floated the idea after getting superannuation as the DG of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
NACTA Deputy Coordinator Arif Akram informed the Senate Standing Committee on Interior that the body spent some Rs13 million in 2008, Rs210 million in 2009, Rs102 million in 2010 and 2011 each and this year the Ministry of Finance allocated Rs97 million to it for the current fiscal year.
After receiving these details, Senate Panel Chairman Senator Talha Mehmood observed: “NACTA has now become an official NGO (non-governmental organisation). The government will have to reassess its importance.”
After a detailed briefing, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Fateh Hassani hit hard on the man who had floated the idea. “NACTA has lost its utility,” he claimed. The Senate panel has also summoned the body’s pioneer, Pervaiz, for a detailed briefing on the idea he had floated to curb militancy in Pakistan.
In its defence, NACTA’s Research and Planning Director Khizer Hayat Nagra told the committee that the body had prepared a number of research papers, including Causes and remedies in Swat turmoil, Trends of terrorism in Pakistan and Dynamics of why people join religious militancy.
He said they were presented before the government besides a documentary called ‘Battle for Paradise’ which was about religious militancy in Swat.
However, there is a long list where NACTA failed to complete its projects. It was unable to prepare a research paper titled: Study on Flaws in Terrorist Prosecution in Pakistan. A research paper titled: Proposing a Counter IED understanding has still not been published either.
The authority also failed to prepare ‘Radicalisation in Pakistan: Problem Analysis and Future Strategies for De-radicalisation’ which it was supposed to present it to the government last month. Two projects relating to ‘Data mining of terrorist incidents and terrorist profiling’, and ‘Compendium on CT Laws in Pakistan’ also could not be finalised due to unknown reasons.
Paper shortage
While discussing other matters, passport authorities informed the Senate panel that over 200,000 passports could not be delivered in time due non availability of paper.
They requested lawmakers to direct the Ministry of Finance to release funds so that the passport office could pay its liability to the Security Printing Press.
“Currently, we produce 6,000 to 7,000 passports daily but we have a capacity of producing over 20,000 if the government provides us papers freely,” officials said.
The panel will visit the finance ministry office today (Thursday) to ensure the release of funds to passport office for this purpose.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2012.