National security: Govt pleads for consensus against ‘invisible enemy’

ISLAMABAD: The government on Wednesday shared the contours of the first-ever national security policy with lawmakers in the National Assembly, urging the political leadership to come on the same page in order to eradicate terrorism. “We need consensus since our enemies are invisible and scattered,” said Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan as he briefed the lower house of parliament on the salient features of the much-awaited policy. The minister pointed out that despite repeated invitation, only the Muttahida Qaumi Movement had offered its input during the crafting of the policy. No other parties bothered to respond, he added. “Although not an easy task, ensuring national security is our prime priority because it concerns the nation’s survival,” Nisar told the lawmakers. Sharing details, the interior minister – who played a major role in formulating the new policy – said the 100-page policy document comprised three parts: secret, strategic and operational. The first of these, he added, dealt with day-to-day affairs and would be kept secret. According to Nisar, the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (Nacta) would become the country’s premier department in the fight against terrorism under the new policy. He lamented the treatment accorded to Nacta in the past and said the government would review it from scratch. The policy also envisages setting up a joint intelligence directorate to coordinate effectively among spy agencies, the minister said. In addition to that, the government will set up an internal security division and raise a rapid response force under the police, he added. “A 500-strong rapid response force will initially be set up in Islamabad… the prime minister will later discuss raising similar forces in the provinces with their respective governments,” Nisar said. Censuring the previous governments for their inaction over terrorism, the minister said the PML-N government could either continue with the status quo or move forward with the commitment to put an end to extremism in Pakistan. “We opted for the latter and brought a policy within a record period of five months,” he said. Secrecy around policy persists Despite announcing a day earlier that it would unveil the security policy document before the National Assembly (NA), the government did not share any document with the lawmakers on Wednesday. Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, too, had said that the policy document would be shared with the lawmakers so that they could give their input. By the end of the day, however, it still remained more or less a ‘top secret’. Talking to The Express Tribune, sources privy to developments regarding the new policy said lawmakers were not the only ones denied access to the policy document. Many members of the federal cabinet were kept from seeing the document, they said. “The draft of the policy was only shared with four ministers,” one official said. “When some of the ministers insisted they be given a copy of the draft, they were simply asked to wait,” he added. Status of peace talks Nisar told the lawmakers that the government had tried to pursue dialogue with the Taliban, but the overture was not taken seriously by the other side. He added that the various attacks, in Bannu and in Karachi, and the killing of Frontier Corps soldiers following the initiation of talks could not be overlooked. “After these acts, the prime minister said ‘enough is enough’ and took a decision… we reviewed our policy and the precision air strikes [in Waziristan] are a result of this,” he said. Nisar stressed that the government had issued clear directives to avoid collateral damage in these air strikes and ensure the safety of citizens. The minister, on the other hand, urged the media to avoid providing undue coverage to those waging war against the nation. Govt is not confused: PM “The government is not confused… we are very clear [about how to proceed against militancy],” Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Wednesday in response to concerns raised by Leader of Opposition in Syed Khursheed Shah. The prime minister, who was present when the interior minister shared major aspects of the policy with the lawmakers, said the government had nothing to hide about talks with the Taliban. He assured the opposition that his government would meet with leaders of all political parties to bring an end to confusion and discuss what measures against militancy can be taken in the future. In a statement made earlier, Shah had said the government appeared to not know how to proceed against militants. Published in The Express Tribune, February 27th, 2014.