Around the 11th anniversary of the Army Public School tragedy, experts at an Institute of Regional Studies roundtable in Islamabad urged more effective counterterrorism implementation and a sustained narrative to combat militant violence.
Ambassador Jauhar Saleem, president of IRS, called the 2014 APS attack a defining moment that led to political consensus on the National Action Plan. He argued that alongside operations, Pakistan must counter terrorist propaganda through a coherent and enduring counter-narrative.
Ihsan Ghani Khan, former national coordinator of NACTA, pointed to persistent gaps in the implementation of policy documents including the NAP. He warned that tactical measures alone are insufficient and urged a shift toward strategic counterterrorism that couples sound policymaking with robust execution. He also stressed the need to revamp the criminal justice system, noting that law enforcement and judicial reforms are central to NAP’s final objectives.
Ambassador Asif Ali Durrani emphasised a unified national narrative against terrorism and urged strengthening police capacity as first responders. He highlighted the importance of improved interagency coordination among departments handling counterterrorism to ensure cohesive action across federal and provincial lines.
Iftikhar Firdous, founder and editor of The Khorasan Diary, reminded policymakers that attacks on school buildings are attacks on the symbol of education and must be treated with full seriousness even when children are not the direct target. He called for better governance in the merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as part of broader prevention efforts.
Rehman Azhar of the Centre for Law and Security noted the unique characteristics of the Pak-Afghan border and said border security strategies must reflect those realities. He reiterated calls for implementing the NAP and rolling out an effective counter-narrative, particularly in the two provinces that bear the brunt of terrorism, and urged that the growing nexus between crime and terror be addressed decisively.
Aarish U. Khan, lead of the Afghanistan programme at IRS, said the Taliban’s return to power requires a fresh assessment of drivers of militancy in Pakistan’s border areas. Participants concluded that a coordinated, strategic approach combining policy implementation, strengthened institutions and a sustained counter-narrative is essential to reduce violence and protect vulnerable communities.
