Says women and children are the worst affected by drone strikes and military action. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday demanded that the government must inform the nation if it intended to start a military operation in North Waziristan Agency (NWA).
“If the military has intended to respond with an attack, it should at least have cleared the area of women and children before bombing Mir Ali through helicopter gunships and artillery,” said the PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
In an official statement on Saturday, Imran repeated his condemnation of the attack against the military personnel in NWA which led to the martyrdom of five soldiers.
He said civilians – especially women and children – were already the victims of drone attacks and now a military action was causing more suffering to those, who were not responsible for this war.
“We cannot regard our women and children of the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) with the callousness and unconcern that is presently being displayed towards them by the state of which they are citizens,” Imran said.
The PTI chief reminded that FATA was directly under the president and it was unfathomable why he was silent over the plight of the people in the wake of curfews and military attacks. Imran said the president must act to alleviate the suffering of the women and children especially by providing immediate food supplies and medical assistance as well as protection against military action.
He also pointed out that an incremental increase in military action would lead to a large scale military operation with revenge attacks and ensuing increase in chaos, militancy and terrorism.
Imran said the local people as well as parliamentarians from the area were already claiming that those killed in the military operations were primarily civilians. “In addition, hundreds of people are being displaced as well as suffering food shortages because of the imposed curfew.”
He said the government must not only take control and bear responsibility for any planned military operation in the NWA, but also inform all the political parties that it had abandoned the APC mandate for dialogue and an end to drones strikes.
“Military operations in one’s own country do not resolve problems; instead they exacerbate them and the same will happen if a military operation is launched in the NWA. Already there are reports of people fleeing the area and civilians being killed,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 22nd, 2013.
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@Zulfiqar:
Waziristan has got nothing to do with KPK. KPK is a province separate from Waziristan which is an administrative agency of FATA directly governed by Islamabad. The government in Islamabad is not answerable to anyone in KPK with regards to matters related to FATA.
This man has a special fascination with waziristan thinking that his maternal burki side originates from kaniguram in waziristan. But I would like to inform him that burkis are NOT pashtuns , they are some kind of tajiks, so he does not have any waziristani pashtun blood if this is what fascinates him about waziristan.
yes , country should be also taken in confidence to interfere in internal affairs of India particularly in Kashmir .
Government will surely take AMERICAN Nation into confidence like always
@saad: Mister, you are an impostor and have a big mouth too. The Pashtuns were much instrumental in the creation of Pakistan and still have the capacity to break away from it. How can one make a Nation from the people who speak different languages and practice different cultures, the religion similarity is coincidental and might have been necessary for dividing the Indian territory but has since proven too little and not the elemantry requirement for growing together as a Nation.
Rex Minor
@ Rex Minor hahaha KPK is part of pakistan and this part snatch half of kashmir from india so i don't see KPK leaving pakistan in a 1000 years In sha ALLAH so why don't you mind your own business. secondly military action is taking place in FATA which is not part of KPK gets your facts right first.
I am phatan and i want military operation in NW because these so called Muslims are giving bad name to Islam and our pashtoon culture and as for my phatan brother's we are not punjabi or phatan we are pakistani first and don't forget these animals destroy our cities and village and imposed their brutal rule peshawar is bombed all the time and don't forget what happened in swat these animal killed children and women but no u guys are happy about it right?@Ahmand phatan omer afridi and safiullah there is not operation in punjab because people are open minded and there is law in that land and as for NW there is not law thats why it is called lawless tribal area the only law people accept is their own and no police force every house hold have a gun thats why all the terrorist are based in tribal areas. if u were really phatans then i wouldn't be hearing all this from u guys after what taliban did in swat they killed our brothers raped our sisters they denied our people education and right to live so don't tell me what will happened as for people why don't u go ask them yourself they want this mess out of their land.
Nation is fed up of TTP and their supporter from DPC.Please stop confusing the nation.There is only one stake holder in state ie Pakistan and other those who think themselves as stake holder they are living in fools paradise(gone are the days when they were considered).Govt is a state and nobody else has a stakes(share) accept the people of Pakistan.Crush others blackmailing.
Crush those terrorist TTP a.s.a.p Before the final showdown with India. Swat is the prefect example that military operation is the only way. If anyone believes PAK military killed its own people is just because he got brainwash by news media.
Crush those terrorist TTP a.s.a.p Before the final showdown with India. Swat is the prefect example that military operation is the only way. If anyone believes PAK military killed its own people is just because he got brainwash by news media.
Crush those terrorist TTP a.s.a.p Before the final showdown with India. Swat is the prefect example that military operation is the only way. If anyone believes PAK military killed its own people is just because he got brainwash by news media.
After reading such hatred comments for Pakhtuns, I feel ashamed to be a Pakistani and Punjabi
IK is either naive, stupid or duplicitous - maybe a bit of all. Yes it would be nice to remove women and children from the battlefield but like most of his "solutions" he leaves out the specifics on how to accomplish. The Taliban intentionally use civilians as shields to save their own skins - a cowardly act which is one of the Elephants in the Room that some still refuse to see.
Is ther no value of pashtoon life in Pakistan?
Why is it that the army never launch military operation in Punjab? Is it because innocent men, women and children will get killed.
How exactly can Army chase miscreants who are fleeing and clear the area of women and children at the same time ? PTI is talking nonsense and not supporting Pak Fauj out of fear of Taliban.
People of KPK and FATA support effective action against terrorists.
Taking Nation into confidence is counter productive. It helps Terrorist who disappear and return when operation is over. Every operation against Terrorists should be a surprise, sudden and decisive. If Taliban Khan really wants to help his friends, he should ask them to laydown their arms and live like other Pakistanis.
I think only the Karachi operation in the 90s had no women and children involved. Imran Khan is just playing the Pushtoon card and thats its.....cuts a pathetic figure politically.
To all the respective brothers and sisters
Its easy to approve military operation against talibans while u r sitting in punjab. Go and see what pakistani army is bombing. they are not killing talibans. they r hitting civilians. for heaven sake like ur punjabi leaders dont sit at home. reality is different. sooner or later u guys will b having the same condition in ur cities. dont think they r far away.
When is the Khan launching blockade of supplies to NWA?
The civilian government and military are left with few options except to launch decisive operation as the militants have refused to accept talks offer made repeatedly by all parties including PM of Pakistan. On the contrary, they continue to attack innocent civilians, police and military with last two bearing brunt of their onslaught recently.
@All Pro Operation Please go and ask the people of KPK and Waziristan, they want an operation or not and you will get a big NO from them.... There was a protest after 70 civilians got killed by our Army Shelling! And those who are teaching the history lesson to IK, please only state one country who conquer the Tribal Area! Please only one!
Well done.Imran Khan- No one else condemned the indiscriminate bombing of hotels where drivers used to stay.No one raised his voice against the blind bombardment of Mirali by Gunship helicopters and artillary.Terrorists are also present in Rawalpindi and Lahore in abundance.But they are not bombed.Pashtun children and women are being killed not only by Drones but also by terrorists and the army as well.Hundreds of innocent people have been killed by drones in Fata.No one took any notice but when two Punjabies were killed by Raymond Devis,their families were paid in millions as compensation.Pashtuns still claim to be Pakistanis....
Contrary to popular belief, Military Operation has resolved problems. SriLanka is an example. It is the inaction against terrorists that has creaed problems.
Not a single word against the Terrorists who kill soldiers,policemen,and innocent men,women and children in thousands.And IK's favourite -TTP- has repeatedly refused negotiations,and had continued their mayhem..Why doe he not make contact with them and have them lay down their arms,and start negotiations. Negotiations happen between two parties willing to find a solution that is acceptable to all Pakistanis.Government cant talk to thin air,while these ghost terrorists continue to kill innocent Pakistanis.
We should not repeat our mistakes, we already facing a burden of sunk economy, worst terrorism and over 600,000 IDPs when we did the operation in South Waziristan. We should take decisions for Pakistan and this one is not at all the one.
A big yes for operation! I want to see Pakistan free of these animals.
IK out of touch with reality, history & politics!