TERRORISM IN PAKISTAN
The terrorism in Pakistan has emerged from a variety of sources. Terrorism is basically a kind of extreme violence and a means to achieve an aim or objective. Pakistan is today faced with multiple sources of terrorism. The roots of terrorism lie at different spots for different causes.
1. Terrorism is a reaction to the military operation in parts of the N.W.F.P. so to bring pressure on the political government to withdraw its troops from the affected territories.
2. Terrorism is a reaction to deprivation of rights, privileges and freedoms of the people in parts of Balochistan at the hands of the government.
3. Terrorism is a reaction to crackdown by the political government against the organizations allegedly supporting freedom fighters in Occupied Jammu & Kashmir.
4. Terrorism is a source of money and power for the unemployed and improvished groups of young people being misguided and misused by foreign hands for their nefarious designs.
5. Terrorism is a tool in the hands of the exploiters and vested interests who are out to enforce their beliefs, religious or ethnic.
The wind of terrorism blew much faster than the capacity-building of the law enforcement agencies. The civilian intelligence network at the federal and provincial levels is afflicted with inadequate resources of trained manpower, equipment and funds as well as intelligence sources and terrorists data bank to meet the enormous challenge. The police is also faced with the same dilemma. It is neither trained for the purpose; nor is it equipped and staffed adequately to carry out its duties.
The first and the foremost duty in security and surveillance is that of the civilian intelligence agencies at the federal and the provincial levels. It is their prime task to keep their eyes and ears open and their network of informants in shape to pre-empt terrorist activity. It is the agencies who have to maintain liaision with the communities and seek their support in identifying and locating suspects.
The civilian intelligence agencies are supposed to pass on the information to the police for arresting and interrogating the accused and collecting evidence for their trial.
The prosecution wing of the government is supposed to prepare fool-proof cases and submit to the courts expeditiously for speedy trial and conviction.
Today, the federal and the provincial governments are abominally lacking in all these spheres.
The internal and external security is the prime responsibility of the federal government. The provincial government is responsible for maintaining law and order or enforcement of law. Both have to work hand-in-hand as far as the control of terrorism is concerned.
As a starting point, the government, whether federal or provincial, has to revisit the present procedures and practices of the security and law enforcement systems. A complete overhauling of each system is inevitable.
Next step would be to staff and equip the system. Even the best system can't deliver with incompetent and corrupt manpower. It is the bottom-up exercise from zero-point that needs to be vigorously carried out with absolute determination and commitment of resources.
The existing intelligence and police network can't deliver, come what may. A panel of experts will have to be hired from outside the bureaucracy to devise the system and lay down the parameters of performance, reward and punishment.
Authority, responsibility and accountability will have to be clearly defined and enforced. The entire system will have to be designed, enforced, and evaluated on the basis of absolute merit and taken care of with utmost dedication and duty by those in power.
The frequent postings and transfers and adhoc measures of salary increase and provision of motor vehicles and electronic gadgets are not enough nor will they produce significant results.
Researched and compiled by Good Governance Forum
16 June 2009
