Counter terrorism: Surrender not an option
Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Aug 23 vowed to continue the fight against terrorism “no matter what”, asserting that surrender was not an option. “Pakistan will not surrender in front of radicalism, extremism and intolerance…this is our home and we will run the country on our terms,” he said in Karachi.
“Those who have misconceptions that [terrorist] attacks will tire us should know that we will never forget our martyrs or their sacrifices and won’t refrain from such sacrifices in future. We will, in fact, pursue them,” he stressed. “We are not fighting on donations. We pay our [security forces] for their jobs through respect. Money only fulfils their needs and we are doing that…but the nation is paying them through honour and respect. The suicide bombers…the dogs of hell…do they think that my soldiers sitting in Waziristan, Balochistan or any other corner of the country don’t know what God has in store for them,” he said. “We will keep fighting against the misguided,” he gave a clear message for those who are spreading violence.
Our team of experts and civil society alliance steered by the Centre for Governance Research (CGR) under the National Initiative against Organised Crime (NIOC), fully supports the commitment expressed by the chief executive and would like the resolve to combat terrorism translated through an active CT National Action Plan, revised and updated in 2021 by the then Government and the Law Enforcement Agencies. The Prime Minister should take a briefing from NACTA and invite all the relevant stakeholders to ensure implementation of CT measures in real earnest.
Tariq Khosa
Director CGR-NIOC
23 August 2023