Punjab Government is committed to speedy & effective implementation of the National Action Plan, said Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan, Spokesperson & Adviser to Chief Minister Punjab on Information & Culture while speaking at PILDAT’s Public Forum on Implementation of NAP.
Appreciating PILDAT’s role as to monitor implementation of NAP from citizens’ perspective, Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan said that the Punjab Government remains committed not just to effective implementation of NAP but also reporting on its progress which led to the Government sharing data with PILDAT on the status of implementation in the first two years. He stressed on the difficult nature of modern day terrorism and held that the Punjab Government is making strides particularly in the area of forensics and surveillance. He also brought attention to the Punjab Safe Cities Authority and highlighted its role in increasing the Government’s power of surveillance. He expressed his confidence in the fight against terrorism with the launch of Operation Radd-ul-Fassad and said that intelligence sharing at the provincial level has increased since. However, Mr. Khan was of the view that revamping of the criminal justice system would take at least ten years with sustained and concerted effort.
Members of PILDAT’s Steering Committee on the Implementation of National Action Plan, Dr. Noel Israel Khokar, Mr. Tasneem Noorani, Mr. Mujeeb-ur-Rahman Shami, and Lt. Gen. Retd. Moinuddin Haider, also spoke on the occasion. Dr. Noel Israel Khokhar, Executive Dean Forman Christian College, thanked the Punjab Government for willingly sharing data with PILDAT and candidly participating in discussions on implementation progress of NAP. He explained that PILDAT’s Monitor on Implementation of NAP to Counter Terrorism was a citizens’ initiative to help Federal and Provincial Governments in assessing their performance. The PILDAT’s Monitor on Implementation of NAP should therefore be taken by Governments as indicator of where the pace of progress requires improvement. Dr. Khokhar also highlighted that tangible progress on NAP would only be visible if uniform progress is achieved on all 20-NAP Points across Federal and Provincial Governments. Mr. Mujeeb-ur-Rahman Shami, senior analyst and Editor-in-Chief Daily Pakistan, said that PILDAT’s Monitor on Implementation of National Action Plan has made work easy for the Governments, Legislatures and Citizens to review progress on a crucial roadmap. He believed reforms in criminal justice system to be most crucial element in success of NAP. He also said that a clear strategy should be adopted in dealing with members of organizations that are proscribed.