Terrorism and Counter- Terrorism Strategies: A Case Study of Pakistan with Special Reference to National Action Plan

Abstract

Since 9/11 and the American decision to send ground forces to Afghanistan to chase and target Al-Qaeda leadership, Pakistan has seen incidents of terrorism of unprecedented magnitude. Thousands have lost their lives; while millions have been displaced, damaging the social fabric as well as hurting the economy of the country badly. In response, the government of Pakistan has deployed both soft and hard methods to do away with terrorism. In the wake of the APS incident, the government came up with a plan known as National Action Plan (NAP) to deal with terrorism comprehensively. Though on paper, the plan seems to be a well-composed document, it is subject to certain weaknesses and shortcomings. This paper will address what NAP is and what it has done to effectively curb the menace of terrorism in Pakistan. Data has been collected from secondary sources. What it argues at the end is that though the plan has done much to address the issue of terrorism, still much has to be done to effectively address what is known as terrorism.