PAKISTAN’S RESPONSE TO EXTREMISM AND TERRORISM

Abstract

This article takes a critical view of Pakistan’s efforts to deal with the challenges of terrorism and extremism through various legislative and policy initiatives, and the weak links in those efforts, with a view to suggesting measures to rectify the faultlines. Pakistan is geographically located in an area of politico-strategic importance and many significant events of world history have taken place in this region in the last half a century where all major world powers have remained actively involved for their vested interests. Pakistan, due to its geographical contiguity, could not isolate itself from these conflicts and consequently had to pay a heavy price. Despite facing security challenges emanating from multiple factors like ethnic and sectarian differences, socioeconomic disparities and external interferences, Pakistan’s response to these challenges has been reactive rather than proactive and futuristic. There have been a number of attempts to reform different areas of the Criminal Justice System and adopt other legislative and policy measures but unfortunately these efforts have resulted in little improvement in the overall efficiency of the system. While kinetic measures to defeat terrorism have been successful, a lot needs to be done in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures and de-radicalisation realm. Absence of a well-defined National Security Policy (NSP), overlapping and duplication of efforts and lack of ownership of these initiatives, particularly of those initiated by the previous governments, have further compounded the situation. Apart from other constitutional, legal and administrative instruments, NACTA, NAP and NISP are viable mechanisms through which the problems of security, extremism and terrorism can be addressed. All that is required from our political and military leadership is the will and ownership of these entities and policies.