Pakistan vowed Wednesday to press on with deadly air attacks on Taliban militants as it unveiled its first ever counter-terrorism policy after battling a homegrown Islamist insurgency for a decade.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan announced the "national security policy" in parliament a day after it was approved by the cabinet, ending years of waiting for a set of unified rules of engagement against terror.
Every act of violence by militants will in future be met with retaliation against their bases under the new policy.
The move comes as talks between the government and the Taliban that began earlier this month have stalled following the killing of 23 soldiers held by the militants.
Pakistan has responded with a series of air strikes in the northwest that have left more than 100 insurgents dead, according to security sources.
Khan said the attacks would continue alongside efforts to negotiate with the Taliban.
"We have made a significant shift in our policy. Now we will react to each and every act of terrorism in the country with an attack on the headquarters of the militants along the Afghan border," he said.
"Whenever there is a strike anywhere, we will target the headquarters of the militants and it's because of this new policy that we have been carrying out precise strikes in the tribal areas."
Commenting on the status of the dialogue between the government and Taliban representatives, Khan said talks have been put on hold but would "resume anytime soon and both negotiations and targeted strikes will go hand in hand".
The policy document is 100 pages long and is split into three parts, one of which would remain secret, said the minister.
It designates the National Counter Terrorism Authority as the body that will deal with nationwide intelligence reports.
"We are establishing a rapid response force, which will be fully equiped with helicopters and latest technology to carry out counter-terrorism operations," Khan added.
Security experts have long called for rapid response teams to deal with terror incidents in crowded urban environments and track down militants.
Since 2007 the Pakistani Taliban have been waging a bloody campaign against the state which has claimed thousands of lives.
The umbrella militant group emerged in response to a raid on a radical mosque in Islamabad, but Islamist violence in the country began to surge in 2004 following the army's deployment in the volatile tribal areas.
Attempts by previous governments at formulating a national security policy have foundered over a lack of consensus and political will.
Political and military analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi told AFP the new policy was ambitious and comprehensive but its implementation "remains an open question".
"They have not left out anything, it's an all-inclusive package, but has the government the financial, administrative and political capacity to implement it?" he said.
Pakistan vowed Wednesday to press on with deadly air attacks on Taliban militants as it unveiled its first ever counter-terrorism policy after battling a homegrown Islamist insurgency for a decade.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan announced the “national security policy” in parliament a day after it was approved by the cabinet, ending years of waiting for a set of unified rules of engagement against terror.
Every act of violence by militants will in future be met with retaliation against their bases under the new policy.
The move comes as talks between the government and the Taliban that began earlier this month have stalled following the killing of 23 soldiers held by the militants.
Pakistan has responded with a series of air strikes in the northwest that have left more than 100 insurgents dead, according to security sources.
Khan said the attacks would continue alongside efforts to negotiate with the Taliban.
“We have made a significant shift in our policy. Now we will react to each and every act of terrorism in the country with an attack on the headquarters of the militants along the Afghan border,” he said.
“Whenever there is a strike anywhere, we will target the headquarters of the militants and it’s because of this new policy that we have been carrying out precise strikes in the tribal areas.”
Commenting on the status of the dialogue between the government and Taliban representatives, Khan said talks have been put on hold but would “resume anytime soon and both negotiations and targeted strikes will go hand in hand”.
The policy document is 100 pages long and is split into three parts, one of which would remain secret, said the minister.
It designates the National Counter Terrorism Authority as the body that will deal with nationwide intelligence reports.
“We are establishing a rapid response force, which will be fully equiped with helicopters and latest technology to carry out counter-terrorism operations,” Khan added.
Security experts have long called for rapid response teams to deal with terror incidents in crowded urban environments and track down militants.
Since 2007 the Pakistani Taliban have been waging a bloody campaign against the state which has claimed thousands of lives.
The umbrella militant group emerged in response to a raid on a radical mosque in Islamabad, but Islamist violence in the country began to surge in 2004 following the army’s deployment in the volatile tribal areas.
Attempts by previous governments at formulating a national security policy have foundered over a lack of consensus and political will.
Political and military analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi told AFP the new policy was ambitious and comprehensive but its implementation “remains an open question”.
“They have not left out anything, it’s an all-inclusive package, but has the government the financial, administrative and political capacity to implement it?” he said.
