Pakistan's top security body to address terrorism challenges in third meeting this year

Pakistan's highest civil-military coordination body on counter-terrorism and national security, the apex committee of the National Action Plan (NAP), will convene on Tuesday at the Prime Minister's House in Islamabad.

Chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, this will be the third meeting of the NAP's top committee. The first meeting was held on June 22, 2024, at the PM House, in Islamabad, whereas the second was held on August 29, 2024, in Quetta.

From the federal government, the committee comprises the Deputy Prime Minister and Federal Ministers for Finance, Interior, Defense, and Information and Broadcasting. Regional leadership includes the Prime Minister of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and the Chief Ministers of all four provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan.

From the military and intelligence services, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir, Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Asim Malik, Director General Military Operations, Director General Military Intelligence, and Director General Inter-Services Public Relations will attend the meeting.

From civil and law enforcement agencies, the Director General of the Intelligence Bureau, the Director General Federal Investigation Agency, and the National Coordinator for the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NACTA) will participate, alongside provincial Chief Secretaries and Inspectors General of Police from Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Islamabad.

Additional federal ministers specially invited to the meeting include the Ministers for Planning and Development, and Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony. The chairmen of the National and Database Registration Authority (NADRA) and Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) and the Chief Commissioner of Islamabad have also been invited.

The meeting will review Pakistan's security situation, particularly recent terrorist incidents and attacks on security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The agenda includes terrorist activities from Afghanistan, smuggling prevention, terrorism financing, and the Afghan refugee situation.

Sources say the committee will also discuss the current political climate, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's planned Nov. 24 protests.

NAP's mixed report card

The committee will evaluate progress on the NAP – unanimously adopted by all political and stakeholder groups following the Army Public School (APS) tragedy in 2014 – and the implementation of Operation 'Azm-e-Istehkam' (Resolution for Stability), launched nationwide on June 22, 2024.

Defense expert retired Brigadier Haris Nawaz told Nuktathat current security challenges stem from the incomplete implementation of the NAP's 20 points and authorities’ failure to operate the NACTA under a comprehensive strategic plan.

Highlighting specific concerns, Nawaz pointed to stalled madrasa reforms. "There are 32,000 religious seminaries in the country - 16,000 registered and 16,000 unregistered," he noted. He raised critical questions about the financial backing of these unregistered madrasas and why authorities have failed to finalize a standardized curriculum for these institutions.

Police reforms remain another concern. "While the police's primary responsibility is maintaining public order and peace, they are failing to fulfill their duties effectively," Nawaz said, citing persistent corruption within the force.

Police officers collect evidence amid the debris after a bomb blast at a railway station in Quetta, Pakistan Nov. 9, 2024. At least 25 people were killed.Reuters

On the judicial front, he noted that while military courts established after the 2014 APS incident successfully prosecuted terrorists, the Peshawar High Court later overturned many convictions, undermining their intended purpose of expedited trials and swift justice.

Who’s to blame?

Discussing recent developments, Nawaz highlighted the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa jirga attended by the province's Chief Minister and Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. He expects the apex committee to review its outcomes. He said organizations like Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) should be banned as they are being exploited by anti-state elements.

He warned that “such forces” are fomenting unrest in Balochistan and attempting to create divisions between Pakistani armed forces and the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. "A strong military is the hallmark of strong nations," he emphasized.

Addressing the challenge of fifth-generation warfare on social media platforms, Nawaz warned how disinformation and rumors are being used to manipulate public opinion. He urged strict action against anti-state propaganda and religious hatred online.

In a statement released on Monday, former Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani challenged this narrow focus on external actors. Rabbani called for the immediate formation of a Parliamentary Committee on National Security, warning that "these acts of terrorism cannot be countered only through operations by the security forces."

Paramilitary soldiers sit in a vehicle driving past the factory where, according to police, two Chinese nationals were shot and injured, in Karachi, Pakistan November 5, 2024.Reuters

While acknowledging religious extremism and regional geopolitics, he pointed to the state's own failings in addressing citizen needs. The recruitment of university students as suicide bombers, he argued, reveals deeper systemic issues.

"It is essential for the state to address issues, be they socio-political, economic, and deprivation of provincial and human rights," Rabbani emphasized. "The apathy of the state towards its citizens leads them to feel the state has nothing to offer them."

"A complacent attitude by the State will have disastrous effects," he said, "and history will not forgive our generation of Pakistanis for looking the other way when the Federation is engulfed in the flames of terrorism."

Failed implementation

Security analyst Imtiaz Gul offered a detailed critique of NAP's implementation strategy. Speaking to Nukta, he explained that the plan was originally conceived as a two-pronged approach combining hard and soft power to restrict extremist and terrorist activities.

"While we've seen the state exercise hard power through intelligence-based operations targeting terrorist groups, the more critical element involved regulating madrassas and mosques," Gul said. "This included controlling hate speech and extremist ideologies, particularly in religious seminaries along border regions."

However, Gul pointed to significant failures in implementing these soft power measures. Religious political parties maintained their support for these institutions, he noted.

"Countering extremism and terrorism requires long-term commitment," Gul emphasized. "Success hinges on developing effective soft power mechanisms, which can only work when there's consistent enforcement of rule of law across all sectors of society."

Scale of the security challenge

The meeting comes amid an alarming surge in terrorist violence, with the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) reporting a 90% increase in violence during the third quarter of 2024.

The period saw 722 fatalities and 615 injuries across 328 incidents, with nearly 97% of casualties concentrated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan – the highest percentage in a decade.

Members of a bomb disposal squad collect evidence as they investigate a crime scene after a blast in Mastung, Pakistan November 1, 2024. Nine people, including five children, were killed while 29 were injured.Reuters

Despite ISPR Chief Major General Ahmed Sharif reporting an average of 112 intelligence-based operations daily, state control has weakened in parts of both provinces.

The situation has sparked public outrage, particularly in areas like Lakki Marwat, Bannu, and Swat, where increasing target killings have led to growing tension between police and military over anti-terror operations.

Intelligence reports suggest the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has expanded its network to include 60 militant groups, while separatist organizations including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and United Baloch Army (UBA) remain active.

A member of the Airport Security Force ASF stands guard near the wreckage of vehicles after an explosion near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan October 6, 2024.

A disturbing new trend has emerged targeting non-Baloch workers, with 38 workers killed in recent attacks, including a mass execution of 23 Punjabi workers in Musakhel.

The total casualties in 2024's first three quarters have already surpassed all of 2023's figures, with civilian and security personnel accounting for 66% of fatalities. The crisis has led ANP Central President Aimal Wali Khan to warn that nearly half of KP now lies outside effective police control.