Curbing terrorism

Urgent reform of the judicial tackling of terrorism is needed to plug the loopholes allowing terrorists to walk free.

That anti-terror legislation was needed in Pakistan is undeniable. That it took five years for the government to finally pass such legislation is reprehensible. Terrorism is not a new phenomenon in Pakistan. It has, over the years, grown into the single greatest existential threat we face as a nation. Tens of thousands have died at the hands of vicious groups that have held this country hostage.

As such, battling terrorism requires a holistic approach that includes sweeping reform of the intelligence services, law enforcement agencies and the mechanisms used to arrest and prosecute terrorists. Luckily, the anti-terror amendment bill that passed through the Senate recently, opposed only by the JUI-F, does move in that direction by making it easier to act against terrorism financiers.

The Anti-Terrorism (Second Amendment) Bill, 2013, focuses on making it difficult for banned outfits to continue operating. Taken in conjunction with the Investigation for Fair Trial Act, 2013, these are all positive steps. Unfortunately, they still do not go far enough.

Urgent reform of the judicial aspect of tackling terrorism is also needed in order to plug the procedural loopholes that allow terrorists to walk free time and again. Of course, any law is only as effective as its implementation and there are valid concerns over whether these laws, once enacted, will actually be enforced in their true spirit.



But this is a problem for a later day. What is clear, however, is that legislation works. In the case of acid attacks, tighter legislation enacted in 2011 has reportedly tripled conviction rates. One hopes that the anti-terror amendments will also go a long way in finally bringing the perpetrators and backers of terrorism to justice.

Ultimately, this war must be fought legally and within constitutional boundaries. But while we support these legislative acts, we must also ask why it took the government till the end of its tenure to realise such laws were needed — a failing that even Fehmida Mirza, the NA speaker herself admitted. At this stage, it seems less like an effort to put things right, and more like a resume-building exercise.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7^th, 2013.