Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa plans faceless anti-terror courts: Report

Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province plans to set up faceless anti-terrorism courts to protect witnesses, prosecutors and judges involved in terrorism cases, according to a report by Dawn on Sunday. The provincial administration also plans to allocate 70 billion Pakistani rupees annually to the police and Counter-Terrorism Department to strengthen their capabilities, the report said.

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 (PTI) of failing to engage in 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 with the assistance of 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 following day.

At a televised briefing on Sunday, Home Secretary Amjad Ali Khan said an amendment had been sent to establish faceless anti-terrorism courts. He said witnesses were reluctant to testify in terrorism cases because of fears for their safety. The proposed system would also protect prosecutors and judges, 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 plans also include strengthening police stations and checkpoints, expanding the Safe City project and installing anti-drone systems in Dera Ismail Khan, Lakki Marwat and Bannu, the report said. Khan said the province faced a shortage of more than 10,000 police personnel and lacked adequate security infrastructure, particularly in the merged districts. He also flagged weak counter-drone capabilities, noting that militants were increasingly using drone technology.

The administration plans to intensify intelligence-based operations, arrest terrorist facilitators, re-verify people placed on Pakistan's Fourth Schedule and mobilise the Rapid Response Force, Khan said. It also plans to deploy artificial intelligence tools to monitor social media and counter terrorist narratives, while satellite communication systems will be installed in areas with inadequate connectivity.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor Kundi, who 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, Dawn reported.