A high-level meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Thursday decided to update the National Action Plan 2014 in order to make it more effective and cater to the needs of present times, especially meeting the challenges related to espionage, subversion and cyber security.
The forum reviewed implementation status of the NAP and expressed satisfaction over the achievements made so far.
The success of the National Action Plan against terrorism is evident from the overall law and order situation in the country and resumption of normal life especially in regions and cities that were previously considered as hotspots of terrorism and extremism.
It is because of the selfless sacrifices and hard work of the armed forces and law-enforcing agencies that the backbone of terrorist outfits of all sorts has been broken and remnants have fled to safe havens in neighbouring Afghanistan.
The achievements of our armed forces in the war against terror are acknowledged not just within the country but also globally and there is also a realization that the stray incidents of terrorism are handiwork of the hostile intelligence agencies which have their own agenda of destabilizing Pakistan and creating hurdles in the way of its economic growth and stability.
The NAP is an all-encompassing document which is the product of a comprehensive and thorough process of discussions by Parliament, giving the fight against terror political ownership.
However, in view of changing security dynamics, both at internal and external fronts, there is a need for revision and updating of the plan to make it more relevant to the present-day needs.
We hope all stakeholders would give their input on the basis of their experience of the last seven years and a draft plan would be presented before Parliament for debate, improvement and approval.
In the context of security and law and order issues in tri-border areas of Punjab and Balochistan, the meeting decided to establish the Inter-Provincial Border Committee to address boundary issues using Survey of Pakistan 2021 besides the decision to further strengthen civil and police administration to improve security situation in the area.
While appreciating the move, we would propose that similar committees should also be set up for each district for clear demarcation of boundaries as, at times, confusion also arises about jurisdiction of the local administrations of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The meeting also approved a five-year comprehensive socio-economic development plan for the less-developed areas of Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur to bring them at par with other parts of the province especially in the area of infrastructure development, provision of water, health and education.
There is definitely a need for a fast-paced infrastructure development in the region as initiation of economic projects would help divert negative activities of the youth for constructive pursuits but more important is establishment of quality educational institutions and a campaign for enrolment of children for schools to bring about a real and durable change.
Different plans for progress and development of this region were also announced in the past but these could not succeed because of lack of political will and support by the local influential personalities. Therefore, they should also be taken on board.
