Launch of Pakistan's Action to Counter Terrorism (PACT) Project Success Stories in Brussels

10 June 2019, Islamabad - The PACT (Pakistan's Action to Counter Terrorism) Project, with the financial support of the European Union, is being jointly implemented by the UNODC Country Office and the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) of Pakistan. The objectives of this project are centred on policy enhancement, increased capacity of the law enforcement agencies (LEAs), and improved provincial and inter-provincial coordination on Counter-Terrorism (CT).

Furthermore, NACTA has collaborated in the design and implementation of the PACT Project's objectives, to ensure that all efforts fall in line with the aims outlined under the initiative. The Project also contributes directly towards SDG 16 through its interventions aimed at enhancing the capacities of police, prosecution, and judiciary; while promoting information sharing between Federal and Provincial authorities to effectively overcome the challenges posed by terrorism. 

The launch of PACT's Success Stories was co-organized with the Embassy of Pakistan in Brussels, and made possible with the support of the UNODC Brussels Liaison Office and the Foreign Policy Instrument (FPI) team of the EU.

The delegation from Pakistan was led by Mr Mubarak Zeb, Director General (Coordination) NACTA, and included the participation of Ms Humaira Mufti, Joint Secretary Ministry of Interior; Mr Noman Bhatti, Counsellor, Embassy of Pakistan; and Mr Ikram Ullah, Home Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The event was also attended by Ms Hilde Hardeman, Director and Head of Service FPI; and Mr Danillo Campisi, Officer-in-Charge UNODC Pakistan.

In her opening remarks Ms Hardeman welcomed the delegation, and expressed her appreciation for the extended cooperation of all the stakeholders in countering terrorism. She stressed the need for dedicated efforts and commitment from the respective countries facing the threat of terrorism to devise collaborative mechanisms for the effective implementation of initiatives like PACT.

Mr Mubarak Zeb in his opening remarks conveyed his thanks to the European Union for extending the financial support, and to UNODC for providing the technical assistance, to complement the efforts of Pakistan in overcoming the challenges posed by terrorism. He acknowledged the project's flexibility in prioritizing assistance on Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) for investigators, prosecutors, and judges; in addition to developing the first-ever tailor-made Training Manual on terrorism financing investigation based on international best practices. He added that the PACT project had contributed as well to promoting gender mainstreaming by encouraging women officers to actively participate in workshops and trainings, which was unprecedented given the barriers they often faced due to cultural and traditional norms.

Following these opening remarks, the PACT Success Stories were formally launched by Mr Ikram Ullah, who presented the Project's major achievements in various thematic areas. He highlighted the project's commencement with a three-month Case Analysis Exercise (CAE) in collaboration with all the stakeholders, to thoroughly evaluate the counter terrorism process in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Following the CAE, the scope of PACT was further defined around the lines of training needs, process improvement, legislative needs, and needs related to external factors. The project's achievements have included the Case Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) established for the KP Prosecution Department, the training of over 1000 officials including investigators and prosecutors on CT related modules developed under PACT, Witness Protection Policy Guidelines developed for KP, enhanced international cooperation between Pakistani LEAs and INTERPOL, and assistance to Pakistan in organizing regional and international conferences.

The briefing concluded with a question and answer session in which attendees raised queries, and received responses from the experts, on the challenges faced, the future scope of the project, and the extent of its impact.