Empowering Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies to Counter Terrorism in Pakistan

Abstract

Ever since the creation of Pakistan, the country's military has played a role greater than that of protecting borders. There have been five military regimes till date and the military continues to dominate the country's political arena. This institution maintains hegemony over the National Security policy of the country and also has a lead role in countering terrorism which has led to the inefficiency of the civilian apparatus. The civilian apparatus is not well- organized, welltrained and well-equipped to deal with the national security threats like terrorism. By adopting a Triangulation approach, this research attempts to examine the legislative changes inculcated after 2013. The capabilities of current civilian institutions which can emerge as key counter terrorism players and the reforms which are needed to give these institutions a lead role in countering terrorism in the country. USA, Indonesia and Israel are taken up as model countries which have successful civilian-led mechanisms in place for countering and mitigating the threat of terrorism within their territories and can provide important lessons for Pakistan.