Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has said that apart from the president, the prime minister and the chief justice of Pakistan, security protocol by civil security services will not be offered to any other individual in the country. He has emphasised that playing the role of guards is not what security forces are intended to do. This is indeed correct. In the past, there have been accounts of how the deployment of personnel belonging to various agencies on VIP security duty reduces the number available for other key tasks in a country torn apart by terrorism and a lack of law and order.
The other decisions taken are also welcome. The interior minister has said that two task forces will be set up — one to review internal security and the other to look into the issue of missing persons. This, too, is a much-needed measure. Both areas are a cause of deep concern in a country where no one can be assured of safety any longer. If the present government can succeed in even partially improving the security situation, it would have taken a huge step and set the bricks in the road, which can lead to more investment, economic growth and development. But, of course, this task will require far more than promises. What has been said is good. It would now be even better to see it being implemented and followed through by sound measures, which can truly bring about a positive change in the situation we all currently live in, with Pakistan considered one of the most dangerous places on earth.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 24th, 2013.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
COMMENTS (6)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
How can someone be a Chaudhry and a Khan at the same time?
Last night I passed by Mr. Zulfiqar Mirza's house on Kh-e-Shaheen in DHA and saw the same nine police mobile vans parked outside the house. Before the recent elections, when he was Sindh minister and his wife the N.A. speaker, one would have understood the need for this heavy security (even though it was very excessive). Now, his wife is an ordinary member of the N.A., and he doesn't hold any post, so why so much security? Each of those mobile vans has six police constables, who can be used where they're needed most: on the streets of the city. And if each Sindh government cabinet member and MPA is allotted so many policemen, how can they improve law and order situation in Karachi?
The Interior Minister annoucement of 'New Security Policy' is misleading and an effort to hoodwink and befool people.Security Policy' is a much wider term and in Pakistan it is dealt by the PM through DCC. The Interior Minister only deals with the elements which are part of security under the Interior ministry and not the whole Security under the domain of DCC/ PM.The Interior Minister implements the Security Policy issued by the DCC/ PM and not remake it as the title suggests.Of course the Interior Minister could make/issue fresh policy guidelines/ instructions to implement the given National Security Policy.And in my opinion this is what he is doing which would have no major impact on the current external/ internal security situation of the country which includes various forms of terrorism in the country/ situation of insurgency in Balochistan and their foreign sponsors in Afghanistan or else where.In other words it is 'Status Quo',and nothing else.
We all know these findings since long.........about the VVIP's protocol. didn’t PMLN family getting the same in the last 5 years? tell us the concrete measures to curtail them. I recall the outburst speeches Ch Nisar has made being the opposition leader in the last Govt. Now his turn to combat the top of top on list of issues facing Pakistan, Terrorism. I believe if he implements what he said would be suffice to a ground breaking measures. We are with you Ch. Sb GO AHEAD.
Not been a week since the New Security Policy was announced. The extremists have thrown down the gauntlet to Int. Min. Rest of the Cabinet is having running stomachs in how life will be without James Bond. I guess Gilgit-Baltistan has reset the clock to Malikjee's days.
we need a new interior minister not that Ch Nisar is a a bad person or anything, but Ch Nisar simply seems overwhelmed by the job which doesnt exude a lot of confidence for people dealing with law and order, and general public. We need someone like late Gen. Babar who never seemed distracted or overwhelmed and always kept a sharp focus on the job at hand.