Quetta, Mardan bombing: Nisar fights off criticism of govt

Calls for unity amid criticism on agencies in Senate

ISLAMABAD: The government and opposition traded barbs in the Senate over the recent terror incidents in Quetta and Mardan.

Debating the attacks in the Upper house on Wednesday, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan defended the federal government’s performance, claiming that alerts for major terrorist incidents in the country had been issued in advance.

Detailing the measures undertaken by the government, the security czar said that over 20,000 intelligence-based operations had brought the graph of terrorism down. Further, he pointed out that the national identification database has been secured and made transparent while 31,000 passports and 300,000 fake national identity cards have been blocked.



Talking about security agencies, who have come under criticism from certain quarters in the upper house of Parliament for ‘their failure’ to pre-empt recent terror attacks, Nisar said the agencies were working to the best of their abilities against ‘invisible enemies’. “Our enemies are trying to draw benefit from this war but they will be defeated at all cost. We should encourage the morale of our security forces rather than demoralising them.”

Detailing investigations into recent terrorist attacks, Nisar said three suspects had been apprehended by intelligence agencies. Initial probes, he continued, had revealed that foreigners were involved in some of these incidents and that these elements will be apprehended soon.

Taking a swipe at the opposition, the security czar said success against terrorism hinged upon joint efforts of all stakeholders and national unity.

Earlier, the opposition grilled the government for security lapses preceding the terrorist attacks.

Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Senator Hafiz Hamdullah questioned the government’s counter-terrorism strategy for Quetta. “I can believe RAW is involved in Balochistan, but when a bombing takes place, the facilitators are searched for in seminaries and mosques. If RAW has done this, then who is facilitating them?”



The Senator, who hails from Balochistan, asked whether the government’s responsibility ended after pointing fingers at external agencies.“Who is supposed to stop Raw?” he asked.

Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Farhatullah Babar said that focus on the ‘so-called’ nexus between corruption and militancy was skirting real issues.

“While it is important to expose and punish the nexus between corruption and militancy, it is far more important, indeed crucial, to break the nexus between some militant outfits and state agencies,” he said.

Backing the border management initiative, Babar pointed out that how it was being presented was an issue.

Noting that the Taliban’s refusal to come to the negotiating table had by and large scuppered border management plans, Babar said that latest efforts of introducing controls at four or five of the 250 border-crossings would not solve the issue either.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8^th, 2016.