Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Monday chaired the second steering committee meeting on the socio-political domain, following the directives of the Central Apex Committee concerning the revised National Action Plan 2021.
During the meeting, the minister emphasized the critical challenge of terrorism the country was currently facing in Balochistan, a news release said. He noted that, in addition to kinetic measures, non-kinetic actions, particularly socio-economic uplift in districts affected by conflict, were essential to improve the situation in a sustainable manner. He recalled that in 2017-18 during PML-N’s previous tenure, National Internal Security Policy (2018-23) was developed in collaboration with all stakeholders and the approval of civil-military leadership.
The primary objective of this policy was to build on the success of Operation Zarb-e-Azb by prioritising non-kinetic measures. The NISP (2018) provided a comprehensive framework that incorporated actions in administrative, social, economic, political and information domains to consolidate peace in the country.
Unfortunately, the previous government did not implement the NISP (2018) which led to the reversal of gains achieved against terrorism and extremism. Resultantly, the Policy document resonates with the situation as much today as it did in 2018, and should continue to guide the government. The creation of this committee, according to the minister, was to ensure that while security agencies perform their duties effectively, civilian agencies must complement their efforts.
A holistic approach to counterterrorism needs to be adopted, with inclusive development and governance as the core principle of the agenda. Ahsan Iqbal emphasized that a nation’s development could not be achieved without internal peace and harmony.
The minister highlighted the importance of provincial governments in this endeavor, particularly after the 18th Constitutional Amendment, which granted provinces greater authority and resources.