Action against extremist outfits

There is good reason to believe that a decisive action against militant organisations of various hues is in the offing. At its last month's meeting, the National Security Committee had announced its resolve to "accelerate action against proscribed organisations", and ordered a fresh ban on Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and its successor Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF). A press report quoting an important 'source' now says "action would soon be visible as things progress." Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry also confirmed the report stating that the government had decided to act in accordance with the political consensus-based National Action plan (NAP).
It has been more than four years since following the horrendous terrorist attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar; leaders of all major political parties had put their heads together to deal with the scourge of violent extremism, coming up with the 20-point NAP. Among other things, it called for preventing militant outfits and armed gangs from operating in the country; dealing firmly with sectarian terrorists; registration and regulation of religious seminaries; and choking financing for terrorists and terrorist organisations. To date, these measures remain unimplemented. It may be recalled that at one point, the previous government had taken umbrage at being reminded that while military operation had made significant progress the civilian side had lagged behind in fulfilling its part of the responsibilities. Still, the government kept shirking its responsibility due to political expediency. Certain extremist groups continued to be courted by the then ruling PML-N as well as some other parties with an eye on making electoral gains. The then interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had openly made a case inside the Senate for dealing with proscribed sectarian outfits - regardless of the fact that they were proscribed for involvement in acts of terrorism - with leniency. It is an open secret that some religious seminaries serve as recruiting grounds for violent religious extremists and suicide bombers, which is why the NAP urged registration and regulation of madressahs. But they have not been touched because of the religious parties' threat to launch an agitation. There has been a lot of talk about stopping the flow of funds to extremist organisations but not much by way of practical measures. As a result, Pakistan faces international censure. Reports coming out of the ongoing talks with the International Action Task Force show although Pakistan's efforts to establish the legal and regulatory framework meet its commitments, it is not out of the woods yet on account of terrorist financing.
The people of this country have paid a profoundly big price for the 'mistakes' our policymakers made in the past. While TTP terrorists fought the state, sectarian organisations killed countless innocent people, other extremist elements felt encouraged enough to distort the national narrative and challenge the writ of the state. Although the elements with extra-territorial agendas have been reined in, they remain a source of concern. The government has now decided to sort out the JeM and FIF; it is also said to be ready to give up its stance on letting the UN Security Council designate Jaish-e-Mohammad leader, Masood Azhar, as a global terrorist. It is about time all these people and their organisations are effectively neutralized. That may not be easy, but no one is stronger than the state. Pakistan needs to take determined action against all extremists for the sake of its own peace and security.