Uptick in terrorism: Civil-military huddle crafts security strategy
Reaffirms resolve to root out extremism from country
Premier Nawaz chairs the meeting at the PM House in Islamabad. PHOTO: ONLINE
ISLAMABAD:
The country’s civil and military leadership has agreed to step up a preemptive strategy to counter the recent uptick in terrorist attacks across the country, The Express Tribune has learnt.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired on Friday a meeting, which was attended by army chief General Raheel Sharif, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi, Inter-Services Intelligence DG Lt General Rizwan Akhter and other officials.
“The high-level meeting reviewed the internal and external security situation and reaffirmed its resolve to root out extremism and terrorism from the country,” said a press release from the PM’s Media Office.
According to the statement, the meeting reviewed progress on the ongoing military operation, Zarb-e-Azb, and noted with satisfaction that significant gains were made during the operation.
“The participants strongly condemned the blast that targeted government officials in Peshawar on Wednesday,” said the brief communiqué.
Sources said the civil and military leadership agreed to focus on a preemptive strategy to address the menace of terrorism instead of playing a reactive role. The military leadership also briefed on the intelligence based operations which are part of law enforcement agencies’ preemptive strategy.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar briefed the participants about the situation in the settled areas of the country after Malik Mumtaz Qadri’s execution.
Qadri, who had killed Punjab’s former governor Salmaan Taseer for supporting a blasphemy convict, was hanged on February 29 after the president rejected his clemency appeal.
The participants agreed that the recent terrorist attacks, particularly in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), were a backlash of the execution of Qadri and March 15 signing of death warrants of hardcore terrorists by the army chief
On March 7, at least 16 people were killed in Shabqadar Bazaar of Charsadda in a suicide attack, which a splinter group of the proscribed TTP later claimed it carried out to avenge Qadri’s execution.
At least 16 more people were also killed when a powerful bomb tore through a bus in downtown Peshawar on March 16. The Lashkar-e-Islam group claimed responsibility saying the attack was a revenge for death sentences passed against 13 militants.
Participants were of the view that the terrorist attacks might be further intensified with the execution of more hardcore terrorists.
General Raheel also apprised the prime minister and participants about the recent corps commanders meeting and their decisions, which, he said, needed civilian support for implementation.
Sources said the military establishment in the recently held corps commanders meeting announced it was going to complete its operation in tribal areas and that rehabilitation and development of the areas now needed the civilian government’s attention.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar told the participants about funds allocations in the next budget for the military as well as rehabilitation and development of tribal areas. Dar also briefed about Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) reforms programme.
He said new Fata reforms programme which would suggest Fata’s new status as a new province or a part of the K-P would play an important role in stabilising the tribal areas which have remained in a state of turmoil for a long time.
Sources said Pakistan’s stalled peace talks with India and the upcoming visit of a Pakistani Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to India to probe the January 2 attack on Pathankot airbase in Indian Punjab also came under discussion.
The participants noted that modus operandi of the JIT had almost been finalised while the rest of the issues which needed political go-ahead would be discussed during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming meeting in USA after March 31.
The participants also discussed the Karachi operation particularly with reference to the recent low profiled cracker attacks on police and Rangers check posts, the diminishing of street power of a political party and its influence on business community.
They expressed satisfaction over the recent political developments in Karachi and hoped that they would play a positive role in bringing peace to the city. They noted that Karachi’s business community had come out of fear while the street power of a political party to block roads and call strikes had significantly reduced.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 19th, 2016.
The country’s civil and military leadership has agreed to step up a preemptive strategy to counter the recent uptick in terrorist attacks across the country, The Express Tribune has learnt.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired on Friday a meeting, which was attended by army chief General Raheel Sharif, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi, Inter-Services Intelligence DG Lt General Rizwan Akhter and other officials.
“The high-level meeting reviewed the internal and external security situation and reaffirmed its resolve to root out extremism and terrorism from the country,” said a press release from the PM’s Media Office.
According to the statement, the meeting reviewed progress on the ongoing military operation, Zarb-e-Azb, and noted with satisfaction that significant gains were made during the operation.
“The participants strongly condemned the blast that targeted government officials in Peshawar on Wednesday,” said the brief communiqué.
Sources said the civil and military leadership agreed to focus on a preemptive strategy to address the menace of terrorism instead of playing a reactive role. The military leadership also briefed on the intelligence based operations which are part of law enforcement agencies’ preemptive strategy.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar briefed the participants about the situation in the settled areas of the country after Malik Mumtaz Qadri’s execution.
Qadri, who had killed Punjab’s former governor Salmaan Taseer for supporting a blasphemy convict, was hanged on February 29 after the president rejected his clemency appeal.
The participants agreed that the recent terrorist attacks, particularly in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), were a backlash of the execution of Qadri and March 15 signing of death warrants of hardcore terrorists by the army chief
On March 7, at least 16 people were killed in Shabqadar Bazaar of Charsadda in a suicide attack, which a splinter group of the proscribed TTP later claimed it carried out to avenge Qadri’s execution.
At least 16 more people were also killed when a powerful bomb tore through a bus in downtown Peshawar on March 16. The Lashkar-e-Islam group claimed responsibility saying the attack was a revenge for death sentences passed against 13 militants.
Participants were of the view that the terrorist attacks might be further intensified with the execution of more hardcore terrorists.
General Raheel also apprised the prime minister and participants about the recent corps commanders meeting and their decisions, which, he said, needed civilian support for implementation.
Sources said the military establishment in the recently held corps commanders meeting announced it was going to complete its operation in tribal areas and that rehabilitation and development of the areas now needed the civilian government’s attention.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar told the participants about funds allocations in the next budget for the military as well as rehabilitation and development of tribal areas. Dar also briefed about Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) reforms programme.
He said new Fata reforms programme which would suggest Fata’s new status as a new province or a part of the K-P would play an important role in stabilising the tribal areas which have remained in a state of turmoil for a long time.
Sources said Pakistan’s stalled peace talks with India and the upcoming visit of a Pakistani Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to India to probe the January 2 attack on Pathankot airbase in Indian Punjab also came under discussion.
The participants noted that modus operandi of the JIT had almost been finalised while the rest of the issues which needed political go-ahead would be discussed during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming meeting in USA after March 31.
The participants also discussed the Karachi operation particularly with reference to the recent low profiled cracker attacks on police and Rangers check posts, the diminishing of street power of a political party and its influence on business community.
They expressed satisfaction over the recent political developments in Karachi and hoped that they would play a positive role in bringing peace to the city. They noted that Karachi’s business community had come out of fear while the street power of a political party to block roads and call strikes had significantly reduced.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 19th, 2016.