PESHAWAR: Research has highlighted the strong potential for transforming prisons into institutionalised centres of rehabilitation and deradicalisation through appropriate reforms, specialised interventions, trained human resources and effective post-release reintegration mechanisms.
A senior officer of the Police Service of Pakistan and former inspector general of police, Islamabad, Qazi Jamilur Rehman, conducted the research as part of his doctoral studies. He recently defended his doctoral thesis and was conferred a PhD degree by the National Defence University (NDU), Islamabad.
The research was supervised by Assistant Professor Dr Irfan Mehsud. The public defence was held at the NDU and presided over by Dr Maria Effendi, head of the Department of Pakistan Studies and Contemporary Studies.
Qazi Jamilur Rehman is a senior police officer who has served in key positions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including as Capital City Police Officer and Regional Police Officer in Malakand and Dera Ismail Khan. He has also headed the Special Branch and served in the Intelligence Bureau.
His research focused on deradicalisation mechanisms in Pakistan and developed an indigenous, context-specific model suited to the country’s socio-cultural, religious and institutional realities.
The research emphasised the need for Pakistan to develop locally grounded solutions rather than relying solely on externally developed models.As part of the research, Qazi Jamilur Rehman conducted a comparative analysis of deradicalisation initiatives in Pakistan and other countries to identify their strengths, limitations and lessons for Pakistan.
A key component of the study was an analysis of the prison system in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the deradicalisation initiatives functioning in the province.The research found striking similarities between the facilities and interventions available in KP prisons and those employed in specialised deradicalisation programmes in Pakistan and internationally.
Deradicalisation programmes gained prominence internationally after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, as governments began exploring approaches to counterterrorism beyond the exclusive use of kinetic force.
Pakistan also introduced important rehabilitation and deradicalisation initiatives, particularly in Swat, following counterterrorism operations in 2009.These Pakistani programmes have been regarded as a success story, with thousands of militants reportedly undergoing deradicalisation through such initiatives.
Given the resurgence of terrorism in Pakistan in recent years, the research highlights the importance of strengthening such soft approaches alongside kinetic and law-enforcement measures.
While force may be necessary to neutralise immediate threats, sustainable counterterrorism requires addressing the ideological, psychological, social and economic factors that contribute to radicalisation.
The indigenous model proposed by Qazi Jamilur Rehman advocates a balanced approach combining kinetic measures with rehabilitation, deradicalisation, psychological support, vocational empowerment and community reintegration, offering a more comprehensive and sustainable response to violent extremism in Pakistan.
