Pakistan’s top civil and military leadership on Friday decided to expand the ongoing military offensives in North Waziristan and Khyber tribal regions in a move aimed at launching a ‘decisive battle’ against militants in the wake of the Peshawar school massacre.
The decision was taken during a high-level civil-military huddle at the GHQ in Rawalpindi. Three days after the worst-ever terrorist attack in Pakistan’s history, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif travelled to the garrison city with his key ministers to discuss a strategy to counter terrorism.
The top military leadership, including army chief General Raheel Sharif and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Rizwan Akhtar, briefed the premier on the aftermath of the Peshawar massacre.
A security official told The Express Tribune that the meeting reviewed the internal security situation and discussed various proposals ranging from tightening security along the border with Afghanistan to expediting trials of terror suspects.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said that security forces would intensify the ground and air offensives in North Waziristan and Khyber agencies, and would chase down terrorists in other tribal areas as well.
‘Zero tolerance for terrorists’
During the GHQ huddle, civil and military authorities agreed that there would be ‘zero tolerance’ for all forms of terrorism and extremism. The army chief informed the prime minister about his crucial meetings with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the ISAF commander in Kabul a day after the Peshawar incident.
According to the security official, Gen Raheel told the premier that the Afghan president and Isaf assured him that they would eliminate sanctuaries of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in northwestern Afghan provinces of Kunar and Nuristan.
“The result of the army chief’s crucial visit to Kabul will be visible soon,” said the security official hinting at the start of an operation against Mullah Fazlullah and his accomplices inside Afghanistan. Gen Raheel had shared ‘vital intelligence’ with Kabul and Isaf, linking the Peshawar attack to the TTP sanctuaries inside Afghanistan.
According to the security agencies, the attack was planned inside Afghanistan where the handlers of the attackers were still hiding.
Friday’s meeting also discussed legal and procedural issues that prevented successful prosecution of terror suspects. One of the proposals was the establishment of military courts to ensure swift trial of hardcore militants.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told a news channel that the government had decided to set up military courts for swift trial of terror suspects. According to legal experts, the federal government will have to enact a law either through parliamentary legislation or a presidential decree for the establishment of military courts.
This is not the first time such speedy courts are being set up in the country. During the second tenure of the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, military courts were also established in Karachi to try criminals. However, the Supreme Court struck down the controversial courts within two months of their establishment.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 20th, 2014.
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