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Thursday, March 14, 2024

Naya Pakistan: Government to curb banned outfits within four months

News Analysis |

Pakistan is all set to take action against banned organizations across the country, Mr. Asad Umar, the minister for finance, stated while giving a briefing to Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs of the National Assembly on Wednesday. In line with the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) that has declared the proscribed organizations operating in Pakistan a “high risk”, the government will take action against these outfits in the next three to four months, he added.

He informed the committee members that FATF had asked Pakistan in January to place some banned organizations from medium to high risks and Pakistan has placed them in high risks. He also shared that the next three to four months are important as the government will not only make legislation but also arrest the members of the banned organizations.

In the latest development, China has decided not to back India to designate Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. If India was able to get it done, it would have been a major blow to Pakistan’s foreign policy.

It is important to mention here that the government has announced to implement the National Action Plan in letter and spirit. The government has banned some organizations and arrested several leaders and members of various organizations. Besides, several mosques and religious seminaries have been taken into the control of the state to regulate them.

Prime Minister Imran Khan also said during a meeting of the federal cabinet that his government was taking action against the banned organization in the best national interest. PM Khan reportedly made it clear that anybody who challenges the writ of the state shall not be spared. It is worth noting that while chairing a PTI’s parliamentary party meeting, the premier clarified that the crackdown on banned militant outfits was an internal security matter and the government had taken the decision without any external pressure.

Read more: No to extremism in Naya Pakistan: Government goes after banned outfits

Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said on Tuesday that the PTI government was determined to implement the NAP across the country. Federal Minister was in a TV talk show on a private channel when he said that the government has decided that national discourse in the country needs to be reformed to make Pakistan a true welfare state.

Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has also assured the government of full cooperation in the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP). According to local media reports, the Pakistan Army top brass on last Thursday agreed to supplement the government’s efforts to implement the NAP and expressed their resolve to defend the motherland against any misadventure or aggression from across the border.

Analysts in Pakistan believe that some organizations in the country have now become a liability and is the high time that they are not only disowned but eliminated altogether. In the latest development, China has decided not to back India to designate Masood Azhar as a global terrorist. If India was able to get it done, it would have been a major blow to Pakistan’s foreign policy.

Experts believe that the decision of the government to take action against the banned outfits within months needs to be implemented without any delay so that Pakistan may counter Indian propaganda.

A prominent anchorperson Dr. Moeed Pirzada has said “While China has taken a bold & decisive step at UNSC Sanctions Committee for Pakistan, now we must move fast to decisively end all these bad reputed groups; these are a “Clear & Present Liability” for us; they may or may not do anything but they provide easy targets for outsiders.”

Neighbor states, Afghanistan, India, and even Iran now have used the narrative of Pakistan sponsoring the banned organization to belittle all its diplomatic efforts. Economy, that very much depends on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has suffered a lot; first due to Pakistan’s fight against terrorism and now foe’s narrative and strong diplomacy attempting to portray Pakistan as providing shelter to the banned outfits. As Mr. Pirzada said, these organizations are limbo now, but their mere presence and name are good enough for enemy states to target Pakistan.

Read more: Did external pressure compel Pakistan to take action against banned outfits?

Experts believe that the decision of the government to take action against the banned outfits within months needs to be implemented without any delay so that Pakistan may counter Indian propaganda.