Political violence and terrorism

With several attacks along Pakistan’s western border with Afghanistan, security remained fragile in 2016.The most prominent attack was a suicide bomb during Friday prayers in a mosque in late September, killing 34 people. The outlawed…

On 25 May 2017, PIPS hosted “Inclusive and Secure Pakistan” seminar, releasing a national policy report on how to counter violent extremism in Pakistan, and discussing debate on the content of that document. Participants of the seminar…

Pakistani people from all shades of society should be sensitized on Pakistan’s obligations under international law, especially the treaties Pakistan is bound to follow. This will greatly steer their thoughts away from getting radicalized…

On 15 December, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced the formation of a military alliance against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or Daesh. To the surprise of Pakistan, it too was included in the alliance. Meanwhile, Pakistani…

The December 2 deadly shootout at San Bernardino, United States, by an American couple of Pakistani descents, is raising new questions about their path towards radicalization. Of special curiosity is the embrace of radical ideas by women…

Immediately after the December 16 Taliban attack on Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar last year, Pakistan scrapped a six-year informal moratorium on executions, and approved “execution of death penalty in terrorism-related cases”. The…

The twenty-point National Action Plan, announced in the wake of Peshawar school attack, carries almost all aspects of countering terrorism, ranging from the all-out violence to extremism/radicalisation. Much of the news about NAP these…

While the NAP lays down a comprehensive framework for combating the entire spectrum of the terrorist threat in Pakistan, its seventh point calls for taking steps against “re-emergence of banned militant organizations.” Clampdown…