The National Counter Terrorism Authority’s (NACTA) Board of Governors is considering the idea of establishing a federal agency similar to the US Department of Homeland Security, the federal executive branch in charge of public safety.
The suggestion was made at a meeting that was held after a two-year hiatus. The meeting happens to fall on the same day that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) breaks the ceasefire and the 16th anniversary of the Army Public School (APS) Peshawar.
NACTA issued an official statement in this regard, stating that the meeting was presided over by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah. The meeting covered a wide range of topics, including NACTA’s structure, extremism, terrorism, and the way forward.
It is important to note that, in accordance with Section 6(4) of the NACTA Act, 2013, the NACTA must meet at least once every quarter of the year. Despite this, the authority flagrantly violated the Act by failing to hold a meeting for two years.
Furthermore, a NACTA official who attended the meeting confirmed that the idea of creating an organization similar to the US Homeland Security Department was proposed.
Another NACTA official, meanwhile, claimed that the two-year gap between the establishment of the authority and its establishment was evidence that its previous civil and military leaders were more interested in politics than in tackling terrorism-related issues and fulfilling the goals of the National Action Plan (NAP) and the NACTA Act of 2013.
