![A Pakistani police cadet shows off his skills during a parade in December 2012 in Karachi. The country’s leaders plan to create a counterterrorism agency to better coordinate security efforts within Pakistan. [AFP/GETTY IMAGES]](https://unipath-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/158254862.jpg)
Pakistan says 35,000 people have been killed worldwide as a result of terrorism since the 9/11 attacks. In Pakistan, particularly near the Afghan border, suicide attacks, roadside bombings and shootings are a near day-to-day reality.
Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira announced the proposal after a cabinet meeting in November 2012. “The cabinet today approved the National Counter-Terrorism Authority Bill, the need for which has been felt for a long time.” he told reporters. The next step is for the bill to be approved by parliament and signed into law by President Asif Ali Zardari.
Kaira said the new authority would “devise policies and improve coordination among provincial governments and intelligence agencies” as well as “research and devise long-term policies to defeat” the terrorist mindset. “The authority may suggest changes in curriculum, drama and films, and it can also suggest introducing modern education in madrassas,” he added.
Previous attempts to reform religious seminaries, considered nurseries for recruits to the Taliban and other extremist organizations, have borne little fruit.
Agence France-Presse