Pakistan

Imran Khan opposes military action in Kala Dhaka

May 11, 2010

KARACHI: Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan has asked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to 'think twice' before launching a military operation in Kala Dhaka.

In a statement, Khan said that military action was inadvisable because of the current situation in the Hazara division.

On Monday, senators from the Jamiat Ulema e Islam (F) also staged a walkout from the Senate session against the operation started by the Frontier Corps and other law and enforcement agencies in Kala Dhaka. According to the senators, the area's residents were ready to hand over any offenders to the forces; therefore the operation in the area should be stopped.

Senator Gul Naseeb Khan said that the locals of the Kala Dhaka were ready to hand over the wanted people but forces had imposed curfew in the area, therefore people were facing shortage of basic commodities.

Khyber-Pakhtoonkhwa's Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told the press earlier this week that the provincial government had decided to initiate a search operation in the Kala Dhaka area of district Mansehra due to reports that there was a presence of militants there.

In April, a search operation in the area recovered a cache of arms of ammunition.

Kala Dhaka, which is in the Mansehra district, was heavily affected by the earthquake in Pakistan's northern areas in October 2005. A Time magazine report on the impact of the earthquake cited that several tribesmen in the area had crossed into Afghanistan after 9/11 to fight in the country.

COMMENTS (5)

Imtiaz Hussain | 13 years ago | Reply What is the policy of Government against terrorism?just continue Military operations one by one in different areas where ever you suspect,and continue begging for donations by the name of war against terrorism.Is military operations are the only solution to this war n how long we have planned to fight like this?These are the questions which make strike in the mind of every Pakistani.I agree in totality with Imran Khan when he opposes the operations in Kala Dhaka.What Government has given to this area during the last 60 years,look at the infrastructure there.Government has no policy no planning to eliminate this war,just after every terrorist attack,ministers come on media claiming we have done this,we will do that,and give statements just to have edge over the rivals.The fact is the war is being fought,n the innocent are being killed without any policy.

SMJ | 13 years ago | Reply I think this is a watershed point in Pakistan's history. Even though most would be justified in disagreeing with me, I think it's the dissent like this that will change Pakistan for the better, regardless of the veracity of the actual dissent. On the actual point of dissent, I think Pakistan government and the army should ensure a minimum loss to the civilians in the region and also use this operation as an opportunity to both provide relief to the local population as well as bring them into the national fold.