‘Extremist ideology bigger threat than Da’ish’

Killings of innocent civilians underscore responsibility of State to protect them

ISLAMABAD:

The presence of the militant outfit Da’ish in Pakistan may be scant, but the support for its ideology here is the real threat, said a leading security analyst according to a press release issued on Tuesday.

Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) Director Amir Rana, while speaking at a webinar hosted by Islamabad Policy Institute (IPI) on ‘Da’ish in Pakistan: An Evolving Militant Landscape’ said “Numbers do not matter.

The mentality and ideological support that is available for Da’ish in Pakistan is the real threat,” Rana said.

“High-profile attacks in the country in the past were conducted by sleeper cells rarely constituting of more than four to five people, so even if someone claims that there are not more than two to three dozen Da’ish terrorists, it is still concerning and pose a serious threat,” he further noted.

The security analyst said that majority of attacks claimed by Da’ish were executed by the local banned organisations. This collaboration, he contended, gives the local sectarian groups a kind of global reach and access to training and financing.

IPI Executive Director Prof Sajjad Bokhari said that Pakistan was encountered with a complex, decentralized, and geographically diverse threat, which is more intense in terms of violence and narratives.

The incidents of killings of innocent civilians and persecution of communities because of their beliefs, he said, underscore the responsibility of the State to protect them.

Lawyer and social activist Imaan Mazari said that Da’ish had a growing presence in Pakistan since at least 2015 particularly in Balochistan and northern Sindh.

Political activist Mohsin Shehryar said regrettably action against extremist groups has not been a priority either for federal or provincial governments.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2021.