IN the midst of a budget debate, the government also held a meeting on security and made some big decisions — decisions perhaps far weightier than taxing the salaried class, which comes as easy to all governments as claiming their success in fixing Pakistan’s economy.
But to return to the weighty matter of security, the government called an apex committee meeting on Saturday and announced a new ‘operation’ against terrorism. The prime minister approved a “reinvigorated and re-energised national counterterrorism [CT] campaign through the launching of Operation Azm-i-Istehkam, with the consensus of all stakeholders including the provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, symbolising the national resolve to eradicate extremism and terrorism from the country”.
It seems extremism and terrorism are now being seen as twin problems. The press release mentioned a reinvigorated CT strategy, the use of kinetic force, effective legislation and socioeconomic measures. The National Action Plan was also brought in.
It is worth pointing out that this announcement comes a little over a year after a similar announcement. In April 2023, the PDM government called a National Security Committee meeting, after which it was reported that “The meeting approved launching of an all-out comprehensive operation with the [help] of the entire nation and the government”.
The environment in 2008 was very different when large-scale operations were launched.
One news story added that the government had formed a committee to prepare a........