CS vows targeted anti-terror action

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah said on Thursday that only targeted actions would be taken against terrorists and that any military operations would be carried out in consultation with the local population.

Speaking at a grand Jirga on law-and-order held at the Lambat Assembly Hall in Timergara, Shahab Ali Shah warned that while the government did not desire military operations, they were sometimes unavoidable because terrorists use civilian settlements as shields to attack security forces. "If people want to avoid operations, they must fulfill their responsibilities," he said.

The Jirga was attended by Inspector General of Police Zulfikar Hameed, Malakand Division Commissioner Abid Wazir, Regional Police Officer Sher Akbar, Lower Dir Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Arif Khan, DPO Abdul Salam, MNAs and MPAs including Shafiullah Khan and Mohammad Azam Khan, former parliamentarians, tribal elders and political leaders.

Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Arif Khan briefed the Jirga on the current situation. The chief secretary said the presence of army and police in the area was a response to militant activity.

He rejected suggestions that counter-insurgency could be handled as easily as conventional warfare with another state: "This war is difficult because terrorists use our people as a shield, so we must operate cautiously to avoid civilian harm," he said.

He urged communities in Upper and Lower Dir to cooperate with security agencies, saying peace and resource extraction are only possible when security returns. "Suspicion and taunts will achieve nothing; everyone must perform their duties," he added, dismissing claims that operations were driven by a fight over minerals. Shahab Ali Shah said the current situation benefited only the terrorists.