PAKISTAN has been the epicenter of terrorism since 2007 and the country has suffered a relentless campaign of extremist violence unleashed by the obscurantist forces of the TTP, IS, BLA and many smaller factions of religious extremism.
Suicide attacks, bombings of important institutions and attack on the civil and military installations have extinguished the lives of over 80000 innocent citizens and left countless others severely wounded.
The entire nation was shocked to its core by the brutal and horrific attack of the TTP on the Army Public School in December 2014 that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of innocent children and teachers.
This bloody and horrific atrocity became the reason for the unity of the nation and the entire country was galvanized to face the threat of the terror machine and to finally eradicate this scourge from the face of the country.
The political leadership and the military high command finally resolved publically to catch the bull by the horns and consequently the National Action Plan or a comprehensive 20 point formula was designed to counter terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
This cruel and brutal atrocity by the TTP galvanized the civil leadership and the armed forces as the entire nation stood solidly behind them to make a total effort for exterminating the dark forces of reli-gious fanaticism bigotry and intolerance.
Subsequently many other operations like Zarb-i-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasad were launched and the terrorist gangs were finally on the run but unfortunately the efforts of the civil administration left a lot to be desired like delayed justice, poor governance and support of the militants in civil society made it possible for the terrorist narrative to raise its ugly head once again.
The very recent atrocity in Baluchistan that is the daring hijacking of the Jaffar Express has shocked the entire nation and once again people are demanding immediate action against the perpetrators of this heinous crime and an end to the new Emergence of terror in the country.
This action by the BLA has once again exposed the total lack of control of the Govt. in the largest province of Pakistan.
This attack by the BLA has ignited a new debate in the country voicing fears that the security situation in Baluchistan and KPK is now slipping out of the hands of the Federal Govt .
and the train hijack is not an isolated incident but part of the greater fears of terrorism and intolerance in the provinces of Baluchistan and KPK and if something is not done immediately this fire will engulf the entire country from Peshawar to Karachi.
The failure to protect the lives of passengers on a mail train routes is a big question mark on the professionalism and performance of security agencies.
One major reason for not achieving complete success in the National Action Plan is the political instability in the country specially the standoff and deep rift between the PTI and the present Govt.
The PTI has repeatedly made it clear that they are not in favor of any military action in their province.
During the last decade many Governments in power have never made a serious effort to implement the NAP fully.
The inability to establish long-term institutional frameworks for countering extremism and ensuring governance reforms has allowed militants to exploit the state’s vulnerabilities.
The National Counter Terrorism Authority or NACTA suffers from bureaucratic inefficiencies and political instability.
It is no longer the right agency to implement NAP or to coordinate all intelligence work.
Addi-tionally, judicial reforms must be expedited to ensure timely prosecution of terror suspects, as prolonged trials and delayed justice contribute to a culture of impunity.
The role of the national media print and electronic leaves a lot to be desired.
Media today gives maximum time to the political rivalries and the present instability than to critical issues of national security.
Need of the hour is that the media should play an effective role to expose the ugly and negative role of the religious extremists their supporters and abettors and the urgent need to take a final stand against the dark and sinister forces of extremism and intoler-ance.
Social media, in particular, has become a breeding ground for radicalization, with extremist groups using digital platforms to recruit and spread propaganda.
Regulatory mechanisms must be strengthened to monitor and counter extremist content without curbing legitimate freedom of expression.
Forces of terrorism cannot be defeated just by domestic efforts and counter terrorism actions will not bear fruit unless and until the situation in our neighborhood is taken into account.
The policies and actions of the Taliban Govt.in Kabul impact the internal security of Pakistan in a big way.
The Govt. in Kabul is in cahoots with the TTP and provides direct support and help to the militants to launch cross border raids on Pakistan and then run back to their safe havens on Afghan territory.
Pakistan has to adopt a more proactive diplomatic approach and deal very firmly with the Afghan govt. and adopt a zero tolerance policy for the Afghan support of the TTP or other insurgent forces posing a threat to Pakistan.
Madrassa reforms, a key component of NAP, have seen little progress.
Many religious seminaries continue to operate without regulation.
The state must work closely with religious scholars to promote a counter-narrative that upholds tolerance and coexistence.
The nation must wake up and act now or the fire of extremism will engulf the entire country it is now or never.
Another major concern highlighted by Transparency International is the impact of perceived corruption on pressing climate-related needs.
“Corruption obstructs environmental policy, hijacks climate financing and hinders the enorcement of regulations and policies, leaving the most vulnerable with little recourse,” TI notes in a statement on the Asia Pacific region.
With respect to Pakistan, it finds “systemic governance gaps and policy implementation barriers — including delays in implementing regulations and establishing institutions under the Climate Change Act of 2017”, which have “left its climate finance far below the projected $348bn needed by 2030”.
This is deeply worrying.
Pakistan must work with international partners and donors to meet critical climate adaptation needs, yet these efforts risk being undermined by persistent concerns over financial mismanagement, which could potentially deter international donors from investing in Pakistan’s climate resilience.
While the country is making efforts to improve its policy, governance and administrative capacities for what will be a long struggle against environmental devastation, corruption, it seems, is the little-discussed Achilles’ heel.
It must receive the same attention and seriousness as efforts to secure climate finance.
Without this, much good work will be wasted. —The writer is Professor of History, based in Islamabad.
