Mianwali cops gear up against terror threat

Police bank on modern equipment, public support to respond to attacks

MIANWALI:

People from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s mountainous areas come to Makerwal, Sakkardara and Mitha Khattak in Punjab for employment, to put their children in schools and to procure supplies. This area is called Maidan and is surrounded by mountains. However, the mountainous terrain is also a breeding ground for terrorists and criminals.

Maidan is a haven for fugitives and terrorists since policing becomes very difficult, not only due to the rough terrain, but also because whoever comes to the mountain immediately becomes a target of terrorists.

The movement of 45 to 50 terrorists was detected by drones earlier this week, while DPO Muhammad Naveed took immediate action on reports of them harassing locals. A Jirga was held with local elders and patrols and contingents at police stations and check posts were increased. DPO Muhammad Naveed and SP Ziaullah started visiting and stood guard with the youths in night.

At the start of this month, terrorists attacked Makerwal Police Station, firing on it with light and heavy weapons while raising slogans. Personnel continued to fight against over twenty attackers and were able to repulse them.

In the wake of the Makerwal attack, police made foolproof arrangements. The terrorists took advantage of darkness, advancing through narrow and difficult mountain paths. Chief Secretary Dr. Usman Anwar and IG Zahid Akhtar Zaman reached Makerwal and ordered the immediate provision of all security demands. Regarding the security measures, DPO Matiullah Khan Nawani said that the Chief Secretary and the IG provided a large number of searchlights for check posts and sensitive police stations. Steel towers (fronts) were also installed, staff was doubled at all check posts, night vision goggles were provided, cameras were installed in the surroundings and vegetation was completely eradicated.

Modern weapons were provided and body armour is now mandatory for all staff on duty. Around 26 Elite vehicles patrol the area around the clock, raising the morale of locals.

Thanks to intensive patrolling, stopping the supply of food and drink and the cooperation and pressure of the elders of the area, 12 terrorists were killed in an operation in Lakki Marwat after ten days.

In another incident, terrorists attacked a CTD team on Pukhta Road Ronda in Sakkardara, in which a commander of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was killed in the gun battle, identified as Habib-ur-Rehman. Two of his accomplices escaped.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20^th, 2023.