AS stray incidents of terrorism are taking place in different parts of the country, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has lamented that the role of the provinces in the implementation of NAP had been ignored during the last four years which led to an increase in acts of terrorism in the country.
Chairing a meeting on law and order in Lahore on Sunday, he vowed to restore the role of the provinces in the plan.
The Prime Minister also emphasized that the entire nation was united on the anti-terrorism narrative, standing behind the defence forces and law-enforcement agencies.
The statement of the Prime Minister came as reports from North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) speak of intense firing between security forces and militants leading to killing of seven terrorists and recovery of weapons and ammunition.
There is no doubt that NAP achieved significant success as our defence forces launched a comprehensive operation against all terrorist groups and their facilitators in different regions of the country but it is widely believed that the campaign could not be taken to its logical conclusion mainly because of inability of the provinces to play their role effectively and abetting of terrorism in the country by some hostile countries and their agencies.
In view of the governance structure in Pakistan, the role of the Federal Government is confined to overall policy-making, guidance, launching of operation through the defence forces and collection and sharing of intelligence information.
It was for the provinces to take control of the areas cleared by the defence forces after a lot of sacrifices and establish the writ of the State through a combination of legal, administrative, economic and political measures.
It is believed that the provinces did not introduce legal, judicial, police and madrassah reforms, and could not undertake required measures to ban hate literature, de-weaponize the society and impart special training to their security forces.
This is despite the fact that the defence forces and their leadership have repeatedly been making offers to impart special training to provincial police and security agencies.
The Government is taking comprehensive measures to reform and stabilize the economy but the objective would remain a dream until and unless law and order and a peaceful environment are ensured.
Provinces have the necessary resources and administrative machinery to implement much-needed measures to boost security and eliminate the menace of terrorism.
Various studies and recommendations are already there and what we need is their implementation under active guidance and facilitation of the Federal Government.
