Highlight the role of National Action Plan (NAP) in stabilization of internal security of Pakistan. Critically analyze its outcomes?

Introduction

After terrorists killed more than 140 people, most of them schoolchildren, at the Army Public School in Peshawar on 16 December 2014, an ISPR anthem captured the nation's resolve: "Bara dushman bana phirta hai jo bachon se larta hai" (He poses as a great enemy, yet he fights with children). The tragedy united Pakistan's divided political leadership. Within days, all parties agreed on the 20-point National Action Plan (NAP), the first comprehensive national strategy against terrorism and extremism. NAP played a central role in stabilising internal security between 2015 and 2018, but its uneven implementation, especially of its non-military points, left gaps that militants later exploited.

Overview

NAP was approved at an All Parties Conference and announced by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on 24 December 2014. Its 20 points included the execution of convicted terrorists, special trial courts, a ban on armed militias, strengthening NACTA, action against hate speech and terror financing, registration and regulation of madrassas, FATA reforms, a Karachi operation, reconciliation in Balochistan and reform of the criminal justice system. It built on Operation Zarb-e-Azb, launched in North Waziristan in June 2014. Parliament passed the 21st Amendment in January 2015, allowing military courts to try terrorism cases for two years, later extended by the 23rd Amendment (2017).

Role of NAP in stabilising internal security

1. Lifting the moratorium and military courts.

The government lifted the moratorium on the death penalty in December 2014 for terrorism cases and set up military courts, which convicted hundreds of terrorists, creating deterrence. (Reference: Constitution (Twenty-first Amendment) Act, 2015; ISPR statements on military courts, 2015–2019.)

2. Action against armed groups.

NAP banned armed militias and proscribed organisations from operating under new names, and the security forces launched intelligence-based operations across the country. (Reference: NAP, points 3 and 7; NACTA, list of proscribed organisations.)

3. The Karachi operation.

The Rangers-led operation against terrorists, target killers, extortionists and criminal wings of political parties restored order to Pakistan's largest city. (Reference: NAP, point 16; Sindh Home Department and Rangers reports, 2015–2018.)

4. Choking terror financing.

NAP directed action against terror financing, including hawala networks and funding of proscribed groups, a process later strengthened by FATF-related laws. (Reference: NAP, point 6; State Bank of Pakistan AML/CFT regulations.)

5. SIM verification and communications.

A nationwide biometric re-verification of mobile SIMs in 2015 blocked millions of unverified connections used by terrorists and criminals. (Reference: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, biometric verification system, 2015.)

6. Hate speech and extremist literature.

Police registered thousands of cases and arrested many people for hate speech and misuse of loudspeakers, and confiscated extremist literature. (Reference: NAP, point 5; Ministry of Interior progress reports on NAP, 2015–2016.)

7. Counter-terrorism departments.

Provinces strengthened or created Counter Terrorism Departments (CTDs) with dedicated forces and intelligence units. (Reference: NAP, point 8 on a counter-terrorism force; Punjab CTD annual reports.)

8. FATA reforms.

NAP called for administrative and development reforms in FATA, which led to the FATA Reforms Committee (2016) and the merger of FATA with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through the 25th Amendment in May 2018. (Reference: Report of the Committee on FATA Reforms, 2016; Constitution (Twenty-fifth Amendment) Act, 2018.)

Critical analysis of outcomes

1. Achievement: a sharp fall in terrorism.

Terrorist attacks fell from about 1,717 in 2013 to around 262 in 2018, and deaths fell even more steeply. (Reference: Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), Pakistan Security Reports, 2013 and 2018.)

2. Achievement: the state's writ restored.

Militant control in North Waziristan was ended, and Karachi's crime and target killings fell sharply, reviving business and public life. (Reference: ISPR statements on Zarb-e-Azb; Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) Karachi crime data, 2013–2018.)

3. Achievement: national consensus.

For the first time, civil and military leaders and all major parties agreed on a single counter-terrorism plan, ending the confusion of earlier years. (Reference: All Parties Conference declaration, 24 December 2014.)

4. Achievement: institutional changes.

NAP led to new laws, provincial apex committees, CTDs and the FATA merger, strengthening the state's counter-terrorism architecture. (Reference: Ministry of Interior, NAP progress reports; provincial apex committee records.)

5. Shortcoming: madrassa reform.

Registration, curriculum reform and regulation of funding for madrassas progressed slowly because of resistance and weak coordination. (Reference: NAP, point 10; Ministry of Federal Education, madrassa registration directorate, 2019 onwards.)

6. Shortcoming: a weak NACTA.

NACTA remained under-resourced and its Board of Governors rarely met, so it never became the effective coordinating hub NAP envisaged. (Reference: Senate Standing Committee on Interior proceedings, 2015–2018; NACTA Act, 2013.)

7. Shortcoming: criminal justice reform neglected.

The reform of police, prosecution and courts, essential for long-term success, was largely ignored, and reliance on military courts was a temporary fix. (Reference: NAP, point 20; Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan reports.)

8. Shortcoming: resurgence after 2021.

The return of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the regrouping of the TTP led to a sharp rise in attacks, prompting a Revised NAP (2021) and showing that NAP's gains were not irreversible. (Reference: Revised National Action Plan, 2021; PIPS, Pakistan Security Report 2024.)

Conclusion

A saying often attributed to Nelson Mandela holds: "It always seems impossible until it's done." Before December 2014, defeating terrorism in Pakistan seemed impossible; NAP showed that national unity and decisive action could sharply reduce it. Its military and security points were implemented with vigour and produced remarkable results, but its reforms of madrassas, criminal justice, NACTA and governance lagged behind. The lesson is that terrorism can be suppressed by force, but it can be defeated only when the state completes the non-military reforms that NAP itself promised.