Asif spells out contours of new ‘rebranded’ op

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE:

Setting the record straight in the wake of severe criticism, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday clarified that Operation Azm-e-Istehkam will focus on ramping up ongoing intelligence-based operations (IBOs) rather than launching a “new and organised” military offensive.

The prime minister, chairing federal cabinet meeting, addressed the misunderstandings and speculations circulating about the counterterrorism campaign.

He ruled out any large-scale military operation and said that Azm-e-Istehkam was a multi-domain, multi-agency and whole-of-system national vision aimed at decisively rooting out the nebulous and shadowy presence of remnants of terrorists, and violent extremism.

He clarified that ongoing operations will be intensified based on intelligence instead of launching a new and organised armed operation.

He said that Azm-e-Istehkam is a multi-domain, multi-agency, whole-of-the-system national vision for enduring stability in Pakistan, adding that equating it with a large-scale armed operation that requires displacement is a misunderstanding.

The aim of the campaign was to “decisively root out the remnants of terrorists, crime and terrorism nexus, and violent extremism from the country”, the prime minister emphasised.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif clarified that the majority of operations under the new initiative, ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’, would be conducted in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan to eradicate the hideouts of terrorists.

“If we [the government] reach a consensus on conducting it [Azm-e-Istehkam], we will also agree on its details,” the minister said while addressing a news conference at the PML-N secretariat in Lahore’s Model Town.

He added that the opposition’s concerns related to the operation would be addressed. “A detailed framework will be clarified within the next few days.”

The minister elaborated that the operation would be slightly different from the previous one, adding that action would be taken based on classified information. Asif maintained that the operation had no political motives.

“Its sole purpose is to counter the recent surge in terrorism, and that is why it should be supported by everyone.”

The minister highlighted that the previous decisions to pardon terrorists had adverse effects.

“According to the military leadership, the decision to grant amnesty to terrorists was made by the civil leadership. This matter will be openly discussed to reach a consensus.”

Asif acknowledged the concerns of the political parties about their vote banks but assured that legal and constitutional aspects would be addressed.

 

“Consensus among all institutions and political forces is essential for the success of the operation. If terrorism is not controlled, it can affect the entire country.”

The minister requested national-level support for the operation. He called on politicians, the media, the judiciary and the armed forces to support the initiative.

Asif said K-P Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur had not expressed any reservations over the operation during the Apex Committee on the National Action Plan’s (NAP) meeting.

“In fact, he [Gandapur] had indirectly said that they would support this action.”

The minister noted that the previous operations had caused displacement, but this one would be intelligence-based.

He added that when the NAP was formulated, various regions of the country were under terrorist control.

Asif recalled that the previous operations including Zarb-e-Azb and the tragic Army Public School Peshawar attack in December 2016 had led to the formulation of the NAP.

“The situation is different now; it’s not that there is a Taliban rule necessitating this operation.”

The minister pointed out that some areas were still being affected by the banned outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) activities but the current situation was not as critical as before.

“We fought two wars under [former military rulers] Zia-ul-Haq and [Pervez] Musharraf’s regimes for United States’ interests. This operation, however, is being conducted on our own terms, not at the behest of China or anyone else.”

Asif maintained that peace was established following operations Radd-ul-Fasaad and Zarb-e-Azb, but the current wave of terrorism had come after the decision to allow the Taliban to return to the country again.

Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad, launched in 2017, involved the active participation of the Pakistan Army, Air Force, Navy, and other law enforcement agencies, with over 375,000 operations carried out and thousands of militants killed.

This had built on the gains of the earlier Operation Zarb-e-Azb, a joint military offensive launched in 2014 against militants in North Waziristan.