Pakistan’s security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province eliminated 270 terrorists in 2024, and the killed included renowned militants with rewards on their heads, an official report said. KPK’s provincial police apprehended 802 suspects during raids, with the conviction rate in terrorism cases increasing greatly from 13 percent last year to 38 percent, as reported by the provincial Directorate of Information of KPK.
Among the 270 terrorists apprehended, 32 with bounties on their heads. The report also underlined the high death toll among security personnel, with 149 police officers losing their lives and 232 seriously wounded in the line of responsibility this year. Over 211,828 FIRs were lodged in the year, leading to the detention of 221,470 alleged criminals. Of these, police apprehended 132 suspects engaged in extortion, 13 abductors, and 19,481 proclaimed criminals.
In accordance with the National Action Plan (NAP), security forces carried out 12,601 search and strike procedures in the northwestern province, resulting in the detention of 67,983 suspects. Several prominent terrorist parties were targeted in these operations, resulting in the eradication or capture of key leaders. Improved intelligence-led measures and stricter law enforcement efforts resulted in a reduction in significant crimes such as theft, kidnapping, and illicit arms trafficking.
The law enforcement agencies also recovered and returned looted belongings worth over PKR 1.12 billion to their rightful possessors. During anti-narcotics operations, 28,097 kg of varied drugs were recovered. The NAP is a pretty significant effort made by Pakistan to combat terrorism. It uses a three-layered approach from legal to operational and social dimensions to combat the same. Though it’s been able to bring about quite remarkable successes in reducing violence and enhancing security conditions, deeper socio-political causes that fuel extremism would have to be addressed for durable peace and stability in the region.
How does NAP work, and what is its importance?
The National Action Plan (NAP) was initiated following the devastating terrorist attack on the Army Public School on December 16, 2014. It nationalized the unanimous stand of all political stakeholders over the organized, integrated, and collective fight against terrorism. It was passed through parliament on December 24, 2014, as a comprehensive 20-point agenda on matters related to terrorism and extremism in Pakistan.
Under NAP, special courts were established under the supervision of the military to hasten terrorism cases. Over 400 terrorists have been hanged to death since the moratorium on the death penalty was lifted. The National Counter Terrorism Authority has been revived and independent Counter-Terrorism Departments have been constituted in all provinces.
Religious seminaries have also been registered and controlled so they are not used for terrorist purposes. Steps have been taken for the regulation of hate speech and the protection of religious minorities.
Since the NAP was initiated, many landmark achievements have surfaced. Statistics of the occurrence indicate that terrorism has significantly decreased since NAP’s implementation; cases of terrorism were recorded to be at 1,823 in 2014 but lowered down to 1,009 in 2015, forming a decreased figure of about 45%. This brought the incidents down to 319 by 2020. According to reports, the Karachi operation by NAP had lessened terrorist activities by 98% by 2019. With the launch of NAP, over 1,800 terrorists have been killed, and more than 5,600 have been arrested. Notable initiatives were to immediately block unregistered SIM cards used by terrorists and introduce biometric verification for new registrations.
