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| India-Pakistan |
| Govt to set up body to deal with terrorism |
| 2009-01-02 |
| The government has decided to set up a high-level body -- the proposed 'National Commission for Counter-Terrorism -- to coordinate efforts in countering the threat posed by the Taliban, a private TV channel reported on Thursday as President Asif Ali Zardari called on the nation to put aside their differences and unite in fighting the war on terror. According to the channel, the commission -- to be a constitutional body -- would be headed by a 'top-level professional' to prepare and execute strategies, and recently retired Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) chief Tariq Pervaiz is likely to be the first choice for the post. The channel said, "Officials cite fragmented [counter-]terrorism efforts as a reason to have a cohesive policy making institution." Currently, the Inter-Services Intelligence, FIA and the Intelligence Bureau are all involved in counter-terrorism efforts, but there is no 'umbrella organisation' to coordinate their work, the channel said, adding that a 'one-window task force' is required to coordinate the counter-terrorism efforts of these agencies. Separately, President Asif Ali Zardari told representatives of Bajaur refugees on Thursday that the entire nation was a victim of militancy and terrorism, and called on citizens to put aside their differences and unite in fighting the war on terror. At a meeting with the delegation of representatives, the president said the Taliban must be defeated to restore peace and stability in the country. He said the government was aware of the problems of those displaced by fighting between the Taliban and the military in NWFP, and it had therefore planned to compensate victims of terrorism. He said the government was also working to rebuild the Tribal Areas through reconstruction opportunity zones. The representatives of the internally displaced people (IDP) from Bajaur briefed the president on the problems faced by the residents of the agency, and called for the restoration of peace in the Tribal Areas. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik told the meeting that the writ of the government had already been established in four tehsils of Bajaur Agency, and Charmang and Mamoond tehsils would be under the complete control of the government by the end of this month. The delegation of representatives was led by Senator Nilofar Bakhtiar, who told the meeting that Pakistan Red Crescent and some other NGOs were providing relief to IDPs living in three camps. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Perhaps I misread the asian mind, isn't the orginzation already in place? It's called government/Army/Navy,Air Force Etc. |
| Posted by: Rednek Jim 2009-01-02 14:43 |