PM Nawaz and army chief Gen Raheel talk during a high-level meeting at the PM House. PHOTO: PPI
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif pledged on Monday to defeat the obscurantist terrorists involved in attacks on educational targets in the country as schools across Punjab resumed classes after a three-day closure over security concerns. “Those threatening our kids from going to school will be defeated,” he said at a high-level meeting convened to review the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) against terrorism and extremism.
State-run and private schools in Punjab and military-run schools across the country were briefly closed days after terrorists unleashed a wanton killing spree at the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda on January 20. At least 21 people, mostly students, were killed in the chilling assault that bore resemblance to the 2014 deadly rampage at Peshawar’s Army Public School.
According to an official handout, the prime minister renewed the nation’s ‘unflinching’ resolve to counter terrorism, saying every effort would be made to root out the malady from every nook and cranny of the country. He added “The unmatched sacrifices rendered by the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) are commendable in this regard,” he said.
The meeting was briefed about different stages of NAP implementation across the country. Participants appreciated the successes achieved in Operation Zarb-e-Azb. Attendees included army chief General Raheel Sharif, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, ISI chief Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar, National Security Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Nasser Janjua and senior civil and military officials.
Sectarian purge in Punjab
Sources privy to what was discussed in the meeting told The Express Tribune that the military leadership said that a counter-sectarianism purge in Punjab was essential for the success of NAP. Interior Minister Nisar and Punjab’s police chief Mushtaq Ahmad Sukhera briefed the meeting on the steps taken thus far against sectarianism in the province.
In its last meeting held in November, last year, Punjab’s Apex Committee had urged Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to requisite the services of Punjab Rangers to dismantle the hubs of sectarianism and militancy in the province, but that has not been done thus far, sources said.
After poring over the crucial subject, both civil and military leaders concurred that sectarianism was rampant in Punjab, and bold steps would have to be taken to eliminate this menace. The meeting also decided to put in place an effective mechanism to choke funding of outlawed militant and sectarian groups, sources added.
An array of banned groups, including Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), has a visible and strong presence in Punjab, especially in the impoverished southern region.
According to sources, the meeting also discussed the January 2 attack on an Indian Air Force base in Pathankot which New Delhi blamed on the JeM. Subsequently, Pakistan’s government launched a crackdown against the group, detaining dozens of its activists. Sources said IGP Sukhera briefed the meeting on the crackdown.
Karachi operation
Sources said the military leadership appreciated the federal government’s unequivocal support for the ongoing targeted operation in Karachi, especially for the arrest of ‘kingpin’ Lyari violence Uzair Jan Baloch, who is said to have alleged that he committed countless crimes at the behest of PPP leaders. This, sources said, has sent out a message that the civil and military leaderships were on the same page vis-à-vis Karachi operation.
The participants concurred that the Karachi operation would be accelerated till it achieved all set goals.
SIT India visit
National Security Adviser Janjua briefed the meeting about the contacts he’s so far had with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval over the Pathankot attack probe and delayed talks between foreign secretaries of the two countries. According to sources, Janjua told the participants that India was awaiting a visit of Pakistan Special Investigation Team (SIT) after which New Delhi would finalise the date for foreign secretary-level talks.
The team sought more information on the Pathankot assault which New Delhi refused to share, sources quoted Janjua as saying. Although the SIT is divided on the India visit, most participants of Monday’s huddle favoured the trip. Subsequently, sources said, the prime minister directed Janjua to discuss the modalities for the SIT’s India visit.
Afghan peace process
The civil and military leadership also agreed to push ahead with the quadrilateral initiative on Afghanistan even though the United States is skeptical about Pakistan’s role in the process, source said. The military leadership told the prime minister that after the Charsadda university attack, they were waiting for the Americans and the Afghans to take action against Pakistani Taliban sheltering on Afghan soil. Pakistan’s military had shared ‘leads’ with both showing that the assault was controlled from Afghanistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 2nd, 2016.
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