Terrorist Rehabilitation: An Introduction to Concepts and Practices

Rohan Gunaratna

Abstract
Pakistani military developed a state-of-the-art capability to rehabilitate insurgents, terrorists
and extremists. Community engagement to prevent and rehabilitation to deradicalize are the
most humane approaches to countering the ideological threat of politically motivated
violence. Spearheaded by Major General Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmad in Swat and by Major
General Asim Saleem Bajwa in South Waziristan, Pakistani military working with its
partners have created a rehabilitation capability that should be adopted by the police and the
prisons. A new frontier in countering political violence, rehabilitation of insurgents,
terrorists and extremists is a global challenge. This paper discuss the concepts and practices
in rehabilitation shared by Singapore with Pakistan since October 15, 2008. Singapore’s
International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research conducted the 1st
Strategic Workshop on Rehabilitation and De-Radicalization of Militants and Extremists at
the FATA Secretariat in Peshawar on 18-19 May 2010. Pakistan’s pioneer in rehabilitation,

Keywords: Rehabilitation, Terrorist, Pakistan, Concept, Practice, FATA