A decade later, militancy rearing its head in Swat

K-P police chief says terrorist trained in Afghanistan reorganizing in valley

PESHAWAR: Militants trained in Afghanistan are reorganising in Swat -- over a decade after they fled to the neighbouring country when security forces launched Operation Rah-e-Rast in the scenic valley in the year 2009 to end the insurgency there, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police chief said on Tuesday.

“Four key terrorists arrested for their involvement in the recent target killings in Swat have disclosed during interrogation that they were trained in Afghanistan,” K-P IGP Dr Sanaullah Abbasi told The Express Tribune.

The provincial police chief further revealed that militants also tried to enter Malakand from Afghanistan but their attempt was foiled by the law enforcement agencies.

In recent days, Abbasi added, businessmen in Peshawar and other areas were receiving extortion calls from Afghanistan-based phone numbers.

“The use of Afghan soil for terrorism in Pakistan is unacceptable,” the K-P police chief said.

“We have asked the government to raise the issue of the extortion calls at the Financial Action Task Force meeting and also speak to the Afghan government,” he added.

Abbasi said the overall law and order situation in the province was much better than it was before.

He noted that the merger of 22,000 Levies and Special Forces in the erstwhile tribal areas with the provincial police force was a historic step.

“We are trying to set up complaint centres for women across the merged districts,” he added.

“In the first phase, we are setting up a desk for women. The first women's centre has been set up in Kurram district. Their purpose is to ensure the protection of women’s rights in the tribal districts,” he explained.

“The recruitment of women police constables and ASIs in the tribal districts will also begin soon.”

Abbasi said 2,500 police personnel had been recruited for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Force.

“The process of hiring 2,500 more personnel will be completed soon. The process has been temporarily suspended because the coronavirus pandemic.”

The K-P IGP said the province’s police force had played a key role in the fight against Covid-19.

“So far, 39 cops have contracted the infection and have been quarantined at their homes. The police force put in a lot of hard work to enforce the lockdown in the province.”

Abbasi said in the past, the 2% increase in job quota for the heirs of police martyrs was a joke.

“The families of the people who had sacrificed their lives for the country were forced to protest on the streets for jobs,” he added.

“The recruitment of the heirs of around 200 K-P police martyrs had been halted for many years and unfortunately nobody was ready to listen to them. The present government has given jobs to them.”

Speaking about police reforms, the provincial police chief said he believed that the first priority was performance. “I have no interest in transfer and postings. There is a committee formed for this purpose.”

He further said police had no right to illegally keep impounded vehicles. “Around 1,600 seized vehicles have been taken back from police officers. We have also asked the officers in Punjab to return the vehicles they have taken away.”