Can we effing get our priorities straight? We have billions for Metro we have billions for bullet train but who will ride those if no one is alive? We dont know if JID could have prevented this incident but any human who has a bit of brain can chose correctly b/w billions of transport projects or on countering terrorism.
Joint Intelligence Directorate could have averted Peshawar tragedy - thenews.com.pk
ISLAMABAD: Counter-terrorism measures were never a priority for the government as no funds were provided to restructure National Counter Terrorism Authority Pakistan (Nacta) to activate rapid response forces in federal and provincial capitals and other major cities. Egos defeated rationality, sincerity and national unity and dream of Joint Intelligence Directorate could not become a reality.
Even federal cabinet members are critical of allocating funds merely for projects like Metro Bus. All efforts by experts on law and order remained fruitless as top leadership was was not ready to release funds for the purpose. The dream of setting up a Joint Intelligence Directorate also could not turn into a reality because of so-called financial crunch. All civilian and other intelligence outfits were to become part of Joint Intelligence Directorate and through joint efforts it could trace out planning of any deadliest attacks like the one in Peshawar on December 16 in advance but many forces didn’t allow it to become a reality. The government also remained mysteriously silent and no joint efforts against terrorism could be launched because of political interests, egos and urge to prove one more powerful.
Top security experts were unanimous in their opinion on basis of their decades long experience that joint intelligence operations can unearth many terrible plans in advance and unequipped, untrained and relatively less experienced personnel working in Special Branch of Police and some other similar departments have more authentic and inside information without any use of technology and combined efforts could yield excellent
results. However, egos become biggest impediment in making national efforts against worst ever enemies of the state.
First the government spent many months in deciding the name of Nacta chief after the superior judiciary removed an irregularly appointed person. After few months of coming into power, PML-N government announced its National Security Policy and also released a rough draft and none of its point including setting up of Joint Intelligence Directorate could be implemented.
Some high ups have claimed that a Rapid Response Force has been activated in federal and provincial capitals but it could not be observed in provincial capitals during recent terrible incidents. According to security experts, majority of terrorism incidents in Quetta are against Hazara community and other Pakistanis are carried by the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), ASWJ, SSP and TTP. All these organisations have been declared as “banned organisations” by Nacta but their activities are reported by news channels continuously and institution like Pemra remain silent spectators as usual. The silence is becoming criminal now.
The News has reported situation regarding lake of coordination in intelligence operations few days back as follows; “According to top security officials, the basic problem the law enforcement agencies are facing across the country in tackling terrorist networks is lack of intelligence sharing and mutual coordination. This has also been the major cause of release of many arrested terrorists, according to officials. Moreover, the law enforcement agencies remain deprived of some hi-tech equipment, which explains their inability and inefficiency in countering terrorism and other heinous crimes.”
Under the Nacta law, the meeting of Nacta board headed by PM and comprising 30 members, including DGs of all intelligence agencies, CMs, IGs, CSs, important ministers has to be held every three months but no such meeting has been held so far. There is a consensus among top police, law enforcement agencies and security officials that the basic reason for Pakistan’s failure to effectively counter terrorism and terrorists’ network is lack of coordination and absence of proper mechanism for intelligence sharing among different agencies and departments.
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