Peshawar: The administration in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has planned to establish faceless anti-terrorism courts to protect witnesses, prosecutors and judges involved in terrorism cases, according to a local media report published on Sunday.
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The provincial administration also plans to spend 70 billion Pakistani rupees annually on the police and Counter-Terrorism Department to strengthen their capabilities, the Dawn reported.
The developments come less than a month after Pakistan's federal government imposed emergency and governor's rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, accusing the provincial government led by former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of disengaging from the fight against terrorism.
Under the move, the chief minister and provincial cabinet ceased to hold office, with Governor Faisal Karim Kundi assuming executive authority, assisted by an 11-member advisory council.
Both the National Assembly and Senate approved the emergency on October 14, while a joint sitting of Parliament endorsed the emergency and governor's rule the next day.
At a televised briefing on Sunday, Home Secretary Amjad Ali Khan said an amendment had been sent to establish faceless anti-terrorism courts, as witnesses in terrorism cases were reluctant to testify because of fears for their safety. The proposed system would also protect prosecutors and judges, the Dawn quoted him as saying.
Khan said the administration planned to allocate 59.8 billion Pakistani rupees to the police and 10.3 billion Pakistani rupees to the Counter-Terrorism Department, with funds earmarked for infrastructure and equipment.
The administration also plans to strengthen police stations and checkpoints, expand the Safe City project and install anti-drone systems in Dera Ismail Khan, Lakki Marwat and Bannu, the Dawn reported.
Khan said the province faced a shortage of more than 10,000 police personnel and inadequate security infrastructure, particularly in the merged districts. He also cited weak counter-drone capabilities, saying militants were increasingly using drone technology.
The administration plans to step up intelligence-based operations, arrest terrorist facilitators, re-verify people placed on Pakistan's Fourth Schedule and mobilise the Rapid Response Force, Khan said.
The administration also plans to use artificial intelligence tools to monitor social media and counter terrorist narratives, while satellite communication systems would be installed in areas without adequate connectivity.
Governor Kundi, who also attended the briefing, said restoring peace and strengthening the police were the administration's priorities. He said development could follow only after security was restored and called for greater political ownership of the fight against terrorism.
Kundi said the police would be provided with weapons, ammunition and other resources, while facilities in the merged districts would also be improved. He said groups taking up arms against the state could not be offered dialogue and would be dealt with accordingly, the Dawn reported.
