Careless and clueless

National Crisis Management Cell fears that around one thousand of proclaimed absconders have joined militant groups

The loss of one or two fugitives from the law may be of little consequence either to the security agencies or the police forces of the country, but losing track of 7,750 beggars belief. This is the number of general absconders who are named on a list prepared by the National Crisis Management Cell (NCMC) and the National Counterterrorism Agency (Nacta). There are concerns being expressed that as many as one thousand of these proclaimed absconders have joined militant groups in the tribal areas, Balochistan and North Waziristan Agency. Of perhaps even greater concern is that this number only relates to those known to the Islamabad police or anti-terrorism courts (ATCs) and what the situation is in other parts of the country is anybody’s guess. It is not unreasonable to assume that there are many more thousands of absconders from the hands of the police and courts, and that a proportion of them are bolstering the ranks of those seeking to overthrow the state.



To say that this is a matter of grave concern understates the situation by several orders of magnitude. All of the men believed to have joined militant groups are known to have experience of handling suicide bombers and planning and carrying out attacks. These are not petty thieves or small-time crooks; they are men with the experience and determination to wage war on the state. Some are believed to have been involved in mass-casualty attacks. The interior ministry that is the parent agency of Nacta and the NCMC is currently running without an official spokesperson, and ministry officials have been directed not to talk to the media about the situation. So why are 7,750 dangerous men on the loose? Corrupt and inefficient police are a large part of the answer with many absconders eloping with the connivance of the police. They present a very real threat to the security of the capital.

A weak justice system is another part of the answer. The absconders are unlikely to be caught en masse any time soon, but a ruthless cull of corrupt police would be a step in the right direction. Possible? Probably not.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 3^rd,  2014.

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