NACTA national counter terrorism authority

20 Points of National Action Plan

1. Implementation of death sentence of those convicted in cases of terrorism.

2. Special trial courts under the supervision of Army. The duration of these courts would be two years.

3. Militant outfits and armed gangs will not be allowed to operate in the country.

4. NACTA, the anti-terrorism institution will be strengthened.

5. Strict action against the literature, newspapers and magazines promoting hatred, extremism, sectarianism
and intolerance.

6. Choking financing for terrorist and terrorist organizations.

7. Ensuring against re-emergence of proscribed organizations.

8. Establishing and deploying a dedicated counter-terrorism force.

9. Taking effective steps against religious persecution.

10. Registration and regulation of religious seminaries.

11. Ban on glorification of terrorists and terrorist organizations through print and electronic media.

12. Administrative and development reforms in FATA with immediate focus on repatriation of IDPs.

13. Communication network of terrorists will be dismantled completely.

14. Measures against abuse of internet and social media for terrorism.

15. Zero tolerance for militancy in Punjab.

16. Ongoing operation in Karachi will be taken to its logical end.

17. Balochistan government to be fully empowered for political reconciliation with complete ownership by all
stakeholders.

18. Dealing firmly with sectarian terrorists.

19. Formulation of a comprehensive policy to deal with the issue of Afghan refugees, beginning with
registration of all refugees.

20. Revamping and reforming the criminal justice system.

NAPs a hotchpotch: its got vision statements (no extremism in Pakistan; no militant
and armed gangs; protection of minorities); many things youd call goals (reforms of
criminal justice; empowerment of Nacta; completion of Karachi operation); some
objectives but no clarity on how they link up to goals (military courts; implementing
death sentences; action against outlets promoting hate speech), and stuff that is
irrelevant (political empowerment of Balochistans government; repatriation of
Afghan refugees). One thing it doesnt have is a plan. Not one of its 20 points has
been unpacked to say how precisely it will be achieved, and in what time frame.
Lost was the fact that the interior ministry had spent months preparing a National
Internal Security Policy (NISP). Its shortcomings aside, it was a far more detailed plan
whose implementation (with modifications) could have served us better.

a combing operation involves several technical aspects, it involves systematic and

thorough search of a pre-defined area in which suspected hostiles are thought to be hiding.
Such an operation involves some degree of planning and intelligence gathering before
execution.

petroleum is our single largest import item and which, until the collapse, accounted
for one-third of our total import bill and a whopping five per cent of our GDP.
Economics 101 tells us that every dollar reduced from the import bill increases GDP
by one dollar. Therefore, the $7bn saved because of cheap oil adds three percentage
points to GDP growth. The growth rate in the last two consecutive years has come in
at just above four per cent. Most of this figure reflects the reduction in oil prices in
world markets, not government or economic performance.
So were it not for the oil price collapse, what kind of scenario could we be imagining
today? Twelve-hour blackouts, petrol shortages (remember last year when petrol
pumps in Punjab ran out because PSOs LC limits to import supplies had been
crossed?), rupee-dollar parity at 150, inflation in double digits, a scramble to the
debtors for rescheduling and more printing of money, and yet more inflation.
A soft state is one that knows what it must do but cannot or does not do it.
Shimla Agreement
back-channel talks
Impediment
armchair analysis

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a regional political organisation comprising the energy rich Gulf
monarchies Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. In 2009,
Yemen joined the Organization is headquartered at Doha Qatar.