The National Action Plan (NAP) was announced on December 24, 2014, by the Government of Pakistan following the Army Public School (APS) Peshawar attack that killed over 140 people, mostly children. The tragedy led to a national consensus on intensifying efforts against terrorism, extremism, and militancy.

NAP is a 20-point counterterrorism strategy jointly implemented by the civil and military leadership. Its key features include elimination of terrorism, regulation of madrassas, controlling hate speech, banning terrorist organizations, reforming criminal justice, and strengthening NACTA (National Counter Terrorism Authority).

It also focuses on countering the financing of terrorism, monitoring Afghan refugees, and implementing the death penalty for terrorists. NAP brought together law enforcement, intelligence, judiciary, and the military under a unified national resolve. It paved the way for operations like Zarb-e-Azb and Radd-ul-Fasaad to dismantle terrorist networks.

While NAP achieved some success, such as reduced terror incidents and better coordination, critics argue that progress has been uneven, especially in areas like judicial reforms, hate speech control, and madrassa regulation.

For sustained peace, consistent political will, institutional reforms, and public cooperation are necessary to implement NAP in letter and spirit across Pakistan.