ISLAMABAD, Jan 25 (DNA): Interior Minister Ch. Nisar Ali Khan has said that internal security is a multi-faceted, multi-pronged and multi-dimensional responsibility that requires continued efforts, monitoring and fine-tuning.

“We must always think beyond ourselves and take internal security as a national issue and obligation,” said the Interior Minister.

This he said during his meeting with thirty newly promoted Major Generals who were participating in Command and Leadership course at National Defence University.

The Interior Minister said that Internal Security of the country is affected by the internal, regional and geo-political factors where besides our known enemies, there are others in the garb of friends who want to benefit by creating instability in the country.

He said that it is quite unfortunate that despite huge sufferings and tragedies incurred during past years, no internal security policy or framework could be devised by the previous governments.

Hundreds and thousands of lives were lost, 5-6 explosions were a matter of daily occurrence across the length and breadth of the country and life and property became the most unsafe commodity and yet the governments of the day continued to turn a blind eye over the issue. The present government for the first time ever formulated the internal security policy of the country, besides conceiving and implementing the National Action Plan last year.

While recounting various challenges in the way to formulating internal security policy, the Minister recalled that the real challenge in June 2013 lay not only in dealing with the militants but also in taking to task those sympathizers who supported extremists and militants.

The Interior Minister said that after the APS incident, the nation’s first national action plan to deal with the menace of terrorism was chalked out in the shortest possible time which had a complete consensus of all political forces. Since then, the Minister continued, there is a marked improvement in the overall security situation.

He said that it would be quite unfair to feign ignorance to successes that have been made under NAP which were made possible only through the continued efforts of our armed forces including the security and intelligence agencies. He said that under NAP a robust three layered security mechanism comprising of police, civil armed forces and the army has been put in place in all the major cities of the country.

The improvement in the security paradigm has occurred due to the unity and consensus evolved over the last year. Civil military understanding corroborated by political consensus has been the single largest contributing factor in improving the security situation in the country.

The Minister said that sporadic incidents, however tragic and horrific, should not be allowed to cloud the positive achievements in the areas of security. Isolated and desperate actions by the militants should not be allowed to minimize the successes achieved in fighting terrorism during the last year. Those who are spreading despondency and pessimism after every incident are playing into the hands of our enemies, continued the minister.

He said that some political parties and individuals are hell bent on scoring political points at the cost of national interest. Statements and analysis by certain political leaders and their cohorts send a message of weakness and cowardice while it is imperative to show resolve and commitment at any moment of calamity.

The Minister said that terrorist incidents should not lead to pessimism and helplessness but a reiteration of a firm resolve to defeat the terrorists at all costs, he continued. Those who are hell bent on grinding their own political axes are causing harm to the national interest by creating holes in the national causes and resolve. Those who are out to spread pessimism and cynicism should remember that every terrorism related graph is down and is the lowest since 2006.

The later part of the talk transformed into an interactive session where the Minister answered the questions of the officers about internal security of the country. DNA