Pakistani cabinet approves anti-terror authority

Pakistani Federal Cabinet Wednesday approved a draft to set up a new panel that 'would handle the threat of terrorism? carry out research and draw up strategies for the purpose', the country's Information Minister said. Qamar Zaman Kaira said that the bill of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) bill 2012 was to be tabled before the cabinet earlier, but it was delayed as improvements were being made in it. Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf presided over the meeting, who condemned recent terror attacks on Shiite Muslims in the country, which killed nearly 50 people in 10 days. Kaira told a news conference in Islamabad that a cell in the Interior Ministry was working but with the establishment of the authority there would be better coordination with all institutions and provinces. The body would devise a counter-terrorism strategy that should address short, medium and long-term goals and devise action plans for their implementation. Kaira said that NACTA bill 2012 will effectively eliminate the menace of terrorism from the country. He said Pakistan was facing terrorism and all the institutions were striving to curb this menace, but there was a need for more coordination among the institutions to fight terrorism. The Cabinet also gave approval to the Interior Ministry to sign a security cooperation agreement with Iran.