Rebuilding NACTA
Publishing date: 22 March 2024
Published in: The Nation
In the face of increasing terror attacks on our soil, it seems that Pakistan’s security apparatus is showing good signs of progress and adaptability. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s recent meeting at the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) headquarters was centered around restructuring the authority on “modern lines”, and strongly suggests that the nation may be opting for a change in its strategic approach.
Taking this proactive approach means we will be departing from our conventional strategy of simply reacting to terrorist attacks with isolated responses. Instead, the emphasis will now be on implementing structural and policy changes to address the root causes of terrorism effectively. Although this is the right chess move to play, in practicality is where things get complicated.
Our backs are against the walls now, and restructuring NACTA is just one part of enhancing our counter terrorism capabilities, but at least it demonstrates that our government is committed to being on the front foot in this war. The Interior Minister’s insistence on a complete implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) is a good example of this strategic shift. Originally, the NAP was formulated in 2014 after the APS attack, and it provided a great framework for comprehensively eradicating extremist groups.
That being said, the repeated calls for the completion of all points in the NAP have become a broken record at this point. Ever since its inception a decade ago, progress has been painfully slow when it came to its implementation. While the need for wide-ranging policy changes is more evident now than ever, Pakistan has clearly struggled – and continues to struggle – to translate this awareness into tangible outcomes. This is no longer an issue of brute force and intent anymore. There is a real systemic challenge our nation faces in executing such changes, and it mirrors our past experiences in the war against terror, where responses were fragmented and anything on the policy side that required sustainability only hindered our progress.
Restructuring our security apparatus is a sign of progress and it does show a sense of initiative, but it must be followed by political will, institutional capacity building and most importantly, a sustained long-term effort. Without this, we simply cannot expect to see a perceptible difference in our current landscape.