PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif whilst chairing federal cabinet meeting on Wednesday directed the Interior Ministry to review the National Action Plan (NAP) in collaboration with all the provinces and the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) to devise a comprehensive plan to curb terrorism.
The twenty point NAP was formulated with consensus after the dreadful terrorist attack on Army Public School, Peshawar, in 2014 killed 141 people including 132 innocent children.
This in unambiguous terms spelled out the specifics for the counter-terrorism drive in the country.
Though many of its points would not have been implemented, yet it provided a way forward to tackle the menace of terrorism through a concerted national effort.
The anti-terrorism operations launched subsequently really helped in breaking the back of the terrorists and largely restored peace in the country.
The recent acts of terrorism in the country including the one happened the other day in the University of Karachi where three Chinese nationals were killed in a suicide attack, is a clear indication that this menace is once again rearing its ugly head.
In this backdrop, the very decision of PM Shehbaz Sharif to review the NAP is very appropriate in order to make it more comprehensive whilst learning from the failures of the past.
Such documents in fact require regular review keeping in view the change in time and circumstances.
The new document should also be prepared with consensus in consultation with all the stakeholders especially the political parties as ultimately they are the ones which will have to implement it when in government.
The new document, in our view, should deal firmly with the foreign funded terrorists besides focus on bringing much needed judicial reforms in order to ensure speedy trials and bring the hardcore criminals and terrorists to the justice at the earliest.
Often policies are formulated in our country but these are hardly implemented. Therefore, a proper mechanism at the highest level should also be constituted which should gauge the implementation of the new plan with regular intervals.
This will help identify our successes and failures and then act accordingly.
