south-asian-militant-groups-and-global-jihad-in-2015

QUILL IAM
Pakistan
A report that was published by the Pakistan Institute of Legislative
Development (PILDAT) in August 2014 indicates that 76% of
Pakistanis see the Federal Government’s attempts to eradicate
corruption as ‘bad; and ‘very bad’, while 55% believe there is very
little or no chance that the government will be able to tackle
terrorism. Interestingly, 71% see little or no chance that poverty
can be alleviated. 106 With that said, this report suggests that the
Pakistani government should take significant steps to combat
cynicism by engaging with grassroots organisations to reduce
corruption, as well as the media to focus a campaign against
terrorism.
Corruption and bad governance is indicative of a political system
where access to justice is limited and the rule of law is weak. In
2013, Pakistan scored 127 out of 175 on the Corruption
Perceptions Index. Therefore, we stress that an immediate priority
for policy makers must be to aid judicial reform, provision and
expansion. We also encourage the use of online corruption reports
stemming from grassroots initiatives to increase transparency
(such a ipaidabribe.com)
The media should be encouraged to make a concerted effort to
describe designated terrorist organisations as such, and to avoid
branding these groups as charities or organisations that provide
social services, as well as share statistics of disillusionment with
these groups amongst the general population.
Recent large scale terrorist attacks against the Pakistani state have
incentivized the Pakistani government to increase its campaign
against terrorism, focusing on the use of military courts to speed
up terrorism trials and accelerate the executions of those
convicted. This approach has been largely ineffective in combating
terrorism. Pakistan has more than 8,000 prisoners on death row,
most of whom have exhausted the appeals process. The courts
system is slow, there is a heavy reliance on witness testimony, and
little protection for judges and prosecutors. In July 2014, 150
heavily armed Taliban easily overwhelmed prison guards and
freed 25 dangerous terrorists. 107 As such, efforts should be made
to research justice systems and better prepare security forces to
respond to domestic threats.
We recommend conducting research on legislation to link formal
and informal justice systems, so that both deliver proportionate
punishments for particular crimes. This research will also be used
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