ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has strengthened counterterrorism and crime prevention measures to become a “hard state,” with a high-level committee now in place to oversee crucial national security and governance matters.
The high-level committee, comprised of federal and provincial authorities, is being led by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
The committee’s responsibilities will include overseeing the return of Afghan nationals, preventing smuggling, and eradicating encroachments.
The committee will oversee the repatriation of Afghan nationals, and review actions against illegal petrol trade and smuggling.
Furthermore, it will evaluate the federalisation of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) at the provincial level, identify shortcomings in relevant processes, and make recommendations for improvement. The FBR has already started taking action to combat the illegal sale of petrol.
At a Parliamentary Committee on National Security on March 18, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir said that there is no agenda greater than the security of the country. “For stability, all stakeholders of the country must work in harmony,” the Army Chief stressed.
The COAS maintained that this is a battle for the country’s survival and the survival of future generations.
“We need better governance and must make Pakistan a strong state. How long will we continue to sacrifice countless lives while functioning as a soft state?” the COAS asked the lawmakers.
According to Pakistan’s National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), the revised National Action Plan, 2021, identified fourteen key policy steps to meet the grave challenge that terrorism continues to pose against Pakistan’s national security.
Ironically, most of these long-overdue actions fall within the civilian domains and have been awaiting implementation for several years.
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), Ambassador Munir Akram, addressing the UN Security Council briefing on Afghanistan, said that the Afghan interim government has failed to address the menace of Afghanistan-based terrorist outfits, including Al-Qaida, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).
Munir Akram said that the TTP, a terrorist organisation operating from Afghanistan and comprising around 6,000 militants, has been launching attacks on Pakistan from safe havens along the Afghanistan border.
Meanwhile, addressing a weekly press briefing, Pakistan’s Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan confirmed that Pakistan’s deadline of March 31 for Afghan refugee repatriation remained unchanged.
