Taliban’s terror tactics
The assassination of Frontier Constabulary (FC) Commandant Sifwat Ghayyur in a suicide attack in Peshawar on August 4 hints at a change in Taliban tactics. There are signs that the Taliban may have decided that tactical and revenge killings of key opponents in the political and law-enforcement administration is the most effective way of destabilising their adversaries. This latest attack comes less than a fortnight after the killing of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s information minister’s son, which was followed by a blast in front of his house.
Mr Ghayyur was a vital figure in the fight against extremists and had personally made some difficult decisions that would have put him in the Taliban’s sight. He had signed off on the dismissal of 903 FC troops in March after they refused to take part in an operation against Taliban forces and had also personally taken part in operations in Peshawar, instead of directing forces from behind the scenes, when he had earlier served as the capital city police chief.
That Interior Minister Rehman Malik posthumously conferred the Sitara-i-Shujaat on the FC commandant is appropriate given his contributions and sacrifice to the fight against militancy. However, the minister should not have used the occasion to talk about the target killings in Karachi. Given his earlier statements about sectarian groups being responsible for the violence in Karachi, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that the minister sees a link between the assassination of Raza Haider and the ethnically-tinged killings in Karachi. This is not backed up by any evidence and so should not be foisted on the public as a fait accompli. The assassination of the officer also serves as yet another reminder that the Taliban should never be taken at their word. Just a few days ago, Taliban spokesman Muhammed Umer sent an email to news organisations announcing a temporary ceasefire in the flood-hit regions. That it was followed so quickly by further terrorism should serve as a wake-up call to those who insist that negotiations with the Taliban are the way to go. Ceasefires and peace agreements require honourable opponents, and in the Taliban, Pakistan has neither.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 6th, 2010.
Mr Ghayyur was a vital figure in the fight against extremists and had personally made some difficult decisions that would have put him in the Taliban’s sight. He had signed off on the dismissal of 903 FC troops in March after they refused to take part in an operation against Taliban forces and had also personally taken part in operations in Peshawar, instead of directing forces from behind the scenes, when he had earlier served as the capital city police chief.
That Interior Minister Rehman Malik posthumously conferred the Sitara-i-Shujaat on the FC commandant is appropriate given his contributions and sacrifice to the fight against militancy. However, the minister should not have used the occasion to talk about the target killings in Karachi. Given his earlier statements about sectarian groups being responsible for the violence in Karachi, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that the minister sees a link between the assassination of Raza Haider and the ethnically-tinged killings in Karachi. This is not backed up by any evidence and so should not be foisted on the public as a fait accompli. The assassination of the officer also serves as yet another reminder that the Taliban should never be taken at their word. Just a few days ago, Taliban spokesman Muhammed Umer sent an email to news organisations announcing a temporary ceasefire in the flood-hit regions. That it was followed so quickly by further terrorism should serve as a wake-up call to those who insist that negotiations with the Taliban are the way to go. Ceasefires and peace agreements require honourable opponents, and in the Taliban, Pakistan has neither.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 6th, 2010.