Army chief lauds tribesmen's commitment to eradicate terrorism

Gen Raheel was told during Apex Committee meeting about progress in last phase of Shawal operation, TDPs resettlement

ISLAMABAD: Army Chief General Raheel Sharif lauded on Saturday the resilience of tribesmen to stand up to the atrocities of terrorists and marginalise them in the society.

“With unflinching resolve and courage, our proud tribesmen of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) stood up to atrocities of the terrorists, pushed them back and marginalised them in the society,” he remarked while being briefed about the progress of last phase of Shawal operation during a meeting of Apex Committee of K-P and Fata in Peshawar.

The chief of the army staff was also apprised about intelligence-based operations in the province, resettlement of temporary displaced persons (TDPs) and border management in Torkham.



The army chief reiterated commitment with the tribal brethren to rebuild the areas and revive entire socioeconomic infrastructure.

He also appreciated harmony among all stakeholders involved and directed them to expedite the pace of work and ensure best quality in the process.

The meeting agreed to improve border management at all crossing points, especially Torkham and enforce border crossing mechanism in letter and spirit.

Regarding extortion calls being made to people in Peshawar from Pak-Afghan border region, the participants decided to send a high-level delegation to Kabul to seek cooperation from Afghan authorities.

The meeting also decided to shut down illegal communication towers inside Pakistani territory to resolve the issue.

The governor and chief minister appreciated the support of Pakistan Army to rid the province of terrorism and extremism and pave way for development and well-being of the people.



DG ISI, Corps Commander Peshawar and senior officials of the province and FATA secretariat attended the meeting.

On February 24, Pakistan Army launched its final phase of Operation Zarb-e-Azb to go after the terrorists still holed up in the strategic valley.

Zarb-e-Azb began on June 15, 2014 following a brazen terrorist attack on Karachi airport and the failure of peace talks between the government and the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Shawal valley in Datta Khel tehsil is situated on the confluence of borders between North and South Waziristan tribal regions. It also shares a border with neighbouring Afghanistan and thus offers a safe transit for terrorists.