An official Pakistani document has blamed "flawed and myopic foreign policy choices" related to India, Afghanistan and Kashmir, prolonged military rule and poor governance for internal security threats currently faced by the country, according to a media report today.
The draft of the National Internal Security Policy (NISP) 2013-2018, being fine-tuned by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan before presentation to the cabinet, describes the scenario as dangerous, posing an existential threat to the integrity and sovereignty of the state, the Dawn daily reported.
The government has done a comprehensive analysis of counter-terrorism models in many countries, including India, to prepare its own strategy to tackle a deadly insurgency that has claimed some 40,000 lives in over a decade.
Pakistan is the country most affected by terrorism after Iraq but if the severity of incidents is considered, it surpasses the Middle Eastern nation, according to the policy document.
"Offering a situation analysis, the document blames flawed and myopic foreign policy choices relating to Afghanistan, Kashmir and India, prolonged military rules and declining capacity of the state institutions and poor governance for the internal security threat," the daily reported.
The document offers an analysis of counter-terrorism models in several countries, including India, the US, UK, Canada, Germany, Turkey and Singapore, and offers its own solution to overcome terrorism, the report said.
Pakistan has long been accused of using non-state actors as a tool to achieve its goals in the disputed region of Kashmir, other parts of India and Afghanistan.
The country was the main player in the US's fight against Russian forces in Afghanistan in the 1980s. The CIA helped set up jihadi training camps to fight the Russians. These same camps were used by Pakistan to start militancy in Kashmir and Punjab.
Though the Pakistan government is now pushing for peace with India and Afghanistan, there is apprehension whether Islamabad can really walk the talk.
As part of the counter-terrorism policy, the Interior Minister has indicated he intends to revamp the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) to prepare a comprehensive response plan, rapid reaction force and integral air wing.
But central to the revamped NACTA, according to the report, would be establishing a "directorate of internal security" to collate intelligence from six intelligence agencies and coordinate efforts between 20 law enforcement agencies.
The whole operation is expected to cost Rs 21 billion, according to the document.
