Interior Minister Ch. Nisar Ali Khan said that effective implementation of National Action Plan requires all stakeholders to put in their best and ensure constant monitoring, supervision and course corrections. NAP, said the Interior Minister, is not a quick fix solution; it as an action plan where all faculties and institutions of the Government have to persistently make efforts to completely eradicate the menace of militancy and terrorism .
This he said while giving keynote address at National Defence University today on internal security policy of the country and National Action Plan.
The address was attended by senior civil and military officers of the country as well as senior military officers from 23 countries.
The Minister during his address observed that intolerance, extremism and terrorism have plagued our country for decades. Our journey now, he said, to a tolerant and progressive society is a long, painful and arduous task in which we have made a lot of sacrifices. This road to return is not an easy path but the state and the people of Pakistan with the help of its security agencies and the armed forces are determined to reverse the trend and a visible difference can be seen today in this regard, continued the Minister.
In his address, the Minister while giving an in-depth overview of various external and internal dynamics of the internal security policy of the country said that administrative failures in past, frail criminal justice system, inconsistent or at times absence of policies on vital issues were the major factors that created serious challenges towards internal security of the country. Besides, various developments at regional and international level and the interests of major powers also left serious imprints on our security. These external and internal factors, continued the Minister, resulted into creation of a situation where one could easily see polarization in a society which faced existential threats from inside as well as outside. However, the Minister said, the Peshawar APS incident united the nation to collectively say no to the extremist ideologies and to rise as one entity in confronting the monstrosity of militancy and terrorism.
Discussing National Action Plan, the Minister said NAP has resulted into visible decline in terrorist incidents with marked improvement in overall law and order situation. He said that as a result of efforts by the law enforcement agencies, life has got back to normal across the country and even in Karachi and Quetta the situation has significantly improved as compared to the past. It must be emphasized, continued the Minister, that the threat has been minimized and not totally removed. We need to be watchful and do everything to keep the momentum going.
While concluding his remarks, the Minister reiterated that NAP is a national plan and its implementation is a shared responsibility of federal and provincial governments, various ministries, divisions and state institutions.
The address followed a candid discussion where the participants interacted with the Minister and raised various questions related to the topic.
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