Last Updated on September 7, 2026 by YeJahan
YEJAHAN DESK
ISLAMABAD (Sept 5): The federal government has appointed Maj Gen Faisal Naseer as the National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), a move that has sparked polarized reactions across social media while mainstream media kept the news relatively low-profile.
According to a notification issued by the Establishment Division, the appointment was made with the approval of the federal government, coming into force immediately to remain in effect until further orders. As national coordinator, Major General Naseer will oversee NACTA’s efforts to coordinate counter-terrorism and counter-extremism measures among federal and provincial institutions.
The appointment comes at a time when the country is confronting renewed security challenges, making NACTA’s coordination role increasingly vital.
Following a no-confidence motion against him, the former prime minister Imran Khan in April 2022, accused the officer of political meddling.
Commenting on the development, senior politician Mushahid Hussain Syed stated on his X account that the posting could serve to revive NACTA.
NACTA badly needs to be Revived as The Lead organisation to effectively tackle Pakistan’s number one issue: Terrorism! This can
— Mushahid Hussain Sayed (@Mushahid) September 4, 2026
be done, starting with 3-point agenda: a) NACTA finally devising nationally coordinated Counter Terrorism (CT) strategy; b) Preempt attacks on CPEC… https://t.co/5Y6brI0zXC
He emphasized that the authority badly needs to be revitalized as the lead organization to tackle terrorism, which he called Pakistan’s number one issue. Syed proposed a three-point agenda for the agency, calling for NACTA to finally devise a nationally coordinated counter-terrorism strategy, preempt attacks on CPEC projects and personnel by ensuring foolproof security, and depoliticize counter-terrorism by ending the misuse of the Anti-Terrorist Act, which he argued is used more often against political opponents than actual terrorists.
Originally established in 2008, NACTA was designed as a federal civilian institution meant to coordinate counter-terrorism and counter-extremism strategies among various provincial and federal bodies. The authority was also assigned the key responsibility of monitoring the implementation of the 20-point National Action Plan, which was formulated to counter terrorism and violent extremism across the country.
