Pakistan's National Action Plan (NAP) has been making headlines at home lately, as blame is being passed back and forth between the military and the civilian leadership over its non-implementation. But whose responsibility is the 20-point NAP, and who is to blame for its inaction? These are important questions, to which factual answers are unlikely.
Islamabad-based think tank Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) organized a moot to discuss the issues regarding the implementation of NAP. Indeed, there's much light that still needs to be shed upon this only-of-its-kind national agenda. The panel comprised a defence analyst/General (retd.), a journalist, and one of SDPI's own researchers.
Some important statistics were made available to highlight the successes of NAP, which have been summarized in the table. On the other hand, the failures of NAP include the fact that the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NACTA) is still inactive; minorities are still unprotected; no reforms for FATA; no judicial or police reforms; rehabilitation of TDPs is still weak; and Balochistan government is still not equipped to handle its affairs.
The consensus, from both the military and civil society speakers at the session, was that there needs to be a coordinated effort. There is no chain of command, and there is no national narrative to NAP. Its a hodgepodge of different ministries, bureaus, and military bodies. Exactly whose role is what and who answers to who still remains entirely dubious? Maybe NACTA is the missing link; as per the plan, the body is supposed to have weekly meetings and be the interface between civilian and military. It was supposed to coordinate between various ministries and intelligence agencies, with the PM being the Chair. Alas, NACTA remains in the doldrums.
The plenary then descended into - as most things in Pakistan do - just another blame game between the military and the civility. It was symptomatic of the rift between the two institutions that has characterized our 69-year existence as a country. The mistrust between army and civilian was quite palpable in the room. The khaki recalled the corrupt PPP leadership, the journalist how Zia is to blame for everything that plagues us today. The answers to who should take ownership of NAP's failures, then, were not to be found.
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