Resolve of the army chief to sever nexus between terrorists in remote areas and their facilitators in urban centers needs instant conversion into reality.
Achievement of such goal requires an elaborate action-oriented plan to be vigorously pursued by all components of criminal justice system and civil administration.
Regarding taking action against facilitators, National Action Plan (NAP) does not have any direct reference. NACTA and Police Research Bureau should consult the provinces and diagnose the reasons for facilitation and hurdles being faced while nabbing the facilitators.
Effective action against facilitators also warrants exploring of answers of certain questions. Why people opt for facilitation? What about types of facilitation? If it’s the attraction of alluring narrative offered by extremists then what is our counter narrative? Supposedly if there is any counter narrative then why we did not effectively encounter the poisonous radical ideology? Why community is reluctant to share information about facilitators? What are barriers of communication between police and public? In cyber space how to save youth from online recruitment? What are facilitation techniques? After the target killings of hundreds of Maliks and community elders, how to enhance trust between the law enforcement apparatus and community? In a country where police and community are poles apart there in the absence of any legal operational fabric for community policing how community is to be encouraged to be cooperative?
After every incident of terrorism, both media and investigators almost work on same priorities hence often it becomes very difficult to establish distinction between the findings of media and investigators. Often both focuses on ordinary questions like nature of incident, was that a suicide attack or a consequence of an improvised explosive devise? What was the quantity and type of explosive? With a big bang, the bomber converts his body into hundreds of pieces thus there is no possibility to penalise the perpetrator but those who may have facilitated are alive. Ideally after an incident the investigators shall instantly trace the linkages with facilitators and financiers. Luckily, after APS attack there is growing realisation to detect, deter and detain the facilitators however there is dire need to build the capacity of investigators to nab the facilitators and financiers.
We have to think, what are the minimum requirements for suicide terrorism? From recent practices it transpires that even if one condition is missing the suicide mission cannot be completed. In the presence of these prerequisites, the likelihood of suicide bombing cannot be averted. However with strong intelligence network facilitators can be monitored and arrested.
Facilitation may be logistical, financial and technological. Regarding logistical facilitation the facilitators may help the attacker to have access to weapons, explosives, suicide jackets and access to the targets. Logistical facilitation also includes provision of boarding and transportation.
Technological facilitation includes making of an IED and tailoring of a suicide vest. Production of video clips and attracting innocent youth in encrypted chat groups are other important forms of facilitation.
Weak administrative writ also provides breeding space for extremism. Prior to military operations in FATA, weak administrative writ proved instrumental in the growth of extremism hence offered space for training and concentration of militants. Since military successfully destroyed the sanctuaries of militants in FATA therefore spotting and arresting of facilitators in settled areas require deep ingress of police in the society. However that is not possible without proactive role of police stations and special branch.
If nabbing of facilitators is the job of LEAs, spotting the facilitators is collective obligation of intelligence agencies, police and the community.
Institutional weaknesses and malpractices also facilitate the extremists. Issuance of fake CNICs to Afghan nationals and presence of thousands of non-custom-paid vehicles in Malakand division, FATA and Baluchistan are indirectly facilitating the cause of extremists. Availability of Afghan SIMs in market and malpractices in the sale of SIMs in market makes the job of terrorists easy.
To discourage facilitation of acts of terrorism in 2001 UN Security Council passed resolution 1373.Paragraph 2 (d) states: “All States shall prevent those who finance, plan, facilitate or commit terrorist act from using their respective territories for those purposes against other States or their citizens”.
To convert the resolve of UN resolution in action and effective deterrence of facilitation requires legislative and administrative interventions. To curb terrorism facilitation KP assembly enacted Restriction of Rented Buildings (Security) Act, Hotels Restriction (Security) Act and Sensitive and Vulnerable Establishments and Places (Security) Act, 2015.As per essence of these enactments it’s imperative upon the community to help police. However without regulating the business of property dealers and motor bargains it seems a gigantic task. In 2000 Australian Queensland state enacted Property Agents and Motor Dealers Act. Our provinces and district governments shall also focus on regulation of such businesses.
Pakistan has signed extradition treaties with 30 countries as of 2009. Extradition treaty with Afghanistan will help fight terrorism. If nabbing of facilitators is the job of law enforcement agencies, spotting of facilitators is undoubtedly collective obligation of intelligence agencies, police and community. Effective deterrence requires legal empowerment and access of investigators to the travel history, telephonic call data, credit cards, hotels and financial institutions.
Facilitators are enemies living within .Reluctance or failure on the part of public to identify facilitators is tantamount to collective suicide. Law enforcement agencies need to launch media campaign and train the public on how to sniff such tendencies and report.
He tweets: @alibabakhel