‘Comprehensive response to terrorism need of hour’

Islamabad:Leading governance and security experts emphasised the need for a coherent and comprehensive response to deal with the alarming spike in terrorism in the country as well as for diligently pursuing consensus-based initiatives of the National Action Plan.

They were addressing a panel discussion hosted here by Institute of Regional Studies, (IRS). The experts included Anwar ul Haq Kakar, former caretaker Prime Minister; Imtiaz Gul, executive director, CRSS; Gen (r) Nasir Khan Janjua; former National Security adviser, Dr Moeed Yusuf, VC, BNU, Asif Ali Khan Durrani, former special envoy for Afghanistan, Lt Gen (r) Asif Yasin Malik, former Defence Secretary; Ihsan Ghani, chief of NACTA; Amir Rana, President, PIPS; Abdullah Khan, MD, Pakistan Institute for Conflicts and Security Studies, and Iftikhar Firdous, editor, Khorasan Diary.

They noted that while there were some issues of capacity that needed to be addressed, but political will to make bold decisions was the most essential element of an effective counterterrorism strategy. They stressed that Pakistan’s past resilience in overcoming challenging times was a testament to the strength of its people in the face of an evil which had a global dimension.

The eminent experts provided a detailed analysis of the historical context of the current security situation in Pakistan. They suggested key recommendations for addressing Pakistan’s national security challenges advocating a strong counter-narrative in response to the rising incidents of terrorism in the country. To address systemic vulnerabilities, they advocated governance reforms such as strengthening law enforcement, criminal justice system, improving inter-provincial coordination, cracking down on corruption, ensuring local body elections and increasing youth engagement in decision-making.