The Taliban-led Afghan government asked Pakistan to fund the proposal and bear the cost of rehabilitation of the TTP
The Afghan Taliban have expressed their willingness to disarm the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terror group and relocate its members from the countries’ border but with a condition that Islamabad will bear the cost of the proposed plan.
This was revealed at the meeting of the Central Apex Committee which met on Friday to discuss the recent surge in terrorist attacks in the country and other security matters, The Express Tribune reported.
The meeting was presided over by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by Chief Ministers, senior cabinet ministers, the army chief, DG ISI and other relevant officials.
Sources familiar with the meeting told The Express Tribune that the issue of banned TTP and its sanctuaries across the border was one of the main issues on the agenda.
A high-powered delegation led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif visited Kabul this week to share “irrefutable evidence” with the Afghan Taliban about the presence of TTP in the neighbouring country.
Pakistan delegation in Kabul to mend fences over TTP and border flare-ups.(photo:IN)
The sources said the apex committee was informed that the Afghan interim government proposed a plan to control the banned outfit. The proposal envisages disarming the TTP fighters and their relocation from the countries’ border areas.
However, the Afghan government asked Pakistan to fund the proposal and bear the cost of rehabilitation of the TTP, The Express Tribune reported.
The meeting was informed that the Afghan Taliban made a similar proposal to China to address its concerns on the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM).
However, Pakistan has yet to respond to the Afghan Taliban’s idea as there is scepticism that it might not work.
Nevertheless, it was for the first time that the Afghan Taliban came up with the idea to disarm the TTP.
Earlier, the interim Afghan government encouraged Pakistan to negotiate a peace deal with the TTP, something that backfired.
Pakistan Muslim League (N) leader and Minister Pirzada said that the former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director general retired Lt Gen Faiz Hameed wanted to bring TTP members back to the country….reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan Human Rights Minister Riaz Hussain Pirzada on Sunday countered PTI leader Shireen Mazari’s claim that ex-army chief retired Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa wanted to “resettle” the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) members in the country, saying ex-army generals were in favour of bringing TTP back to country, Pakistan based Dawn newspaper reported.
Pakistan Muslim League (N) leader and Minister Pirzada said that the former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director general retired Lt Gen Faiz Hameed wanted to bring TTP members back to the country. According to Dawn, the minister’s statement came a day after PTI leader Shireen Mazari claimed that ex-army chief retired Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa wanted to “resettle” the TTP members in the country.
Pirzada while talking to Nadir Guramani on Dawn NewsTV, claimed that an in-camera briefing was held in which army generals had proposed to bring TTP back to Pakistan. “However, (Foreign Minister) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and (Prime Minister) Shehbaz Sharif talked on it … they said that a number of popular leaders were killed by TTP, including Benazir Bhutto sahiba,” he said.
The minister, in response to a question on who made this proposition, said that: “At that time, General Faiz had suggested that they [TTP] should be brought into the mainstream but it backfired.”
Pirzada’s predecessor, PTI leader Mazari had on Saturday rejected the perception that the resettlement was the idea of former prime minister Imran Khan, according to Dawn.
PTI chief Imran Khan recently blamed the negligence of Pakistan’s security forces and intelligence agencies for the rising incidents of terrorism in the country, Pakistan-based Dawn newspaper reported.
Khan, in an interview with Voice of America (VOA), spoke about the criticism received by the PTI for its decision to negotiate with the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) before the party was ousted.
To a question from VOA correspondent Sarah Zaman asked on whether he stands by his decision to greenlight the dialogue with the TTP, Khan was quoted in the Dawn report as saying,
“Well, firstly, what were the choices [the] Pakistani government faced once the Taliban took over and they decided the TTP, and we’re talking about 30, [30,000] to 40,000 people, you know, the families included, once they decided to send them back to Pakistan? Should we have just lined them up and shot them, or should we have tried to work with them to resettle them.”
TTP announces shadow government as fighting with Pakistan intensifies(IN)
Khan said his government had a meeting at that time and the idea behind it was resettlement with the “concurrence of politicians all along the border”.
“But that never happened because our government left and once our government was removed, the new government took its eye off the ball,” he said.
“But then where were the Pakistani security forces? Where were the intelligence agencies? Could they not see them regrouping?” the former PM asked.
“How could we be held responsible for their negligence?” the PTI chief asked. (ANI)
Asif said that terrorists were brought to Pakistan two and a half years ago which eventually resulted in the current wave of terrorism…reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday said that the previous regime was responsible for the spread of terrorism in the country, reported The News International.
Without naming the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led by Imran Khan, he said that security forces were fighting against the terrorists last night (referring to the Karachi police office terror attack) as they were brought back (TTP) and rehabilitated nearly a year ago. Asif was refering to the terror attack on the Karachi police chief’s office. Karachi Police office was attacked on Friday and began at 7:10 pm, while police and Rangers personnel cleared the five-story building in phases, finally sweeping the entire office by around 10:46 pm.
The hours-long combat between terrorists and law-enforcement agencies — comprising Pak Army Special Service Group (SSG), Pakistan Rangers Sindh & Sindh Police — on Friday at the Karachi Police Office located at Sharea Faisal left four people killed and 19 injured, as per the report in Dawn.
In contrast, all three terrorists belonging to the banned militant group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed.
Lashing out at the former PTI government, Asif said that terrorists were brought to Pakistan two and a half years ago which eventually resulted in the current wave of terrorism, reported Dawn.
Notably, former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s administration wished to resume talks with the TTP. By the time the second round of discussions began in February 2022, the government had already freed at least 100 TTP detainees.
However, no progress was made towards reaching a peace accord with TTP and the banned outfit called off its ceasefire on November 28.
Since then Pakistan has been hit by a wave of terrorism, mostly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but also in Balochistan and the Punjab town of Mianwali, which borders KP. Terror attacks have also reached as far as Islamabad and Karachi.
People examine a police building following an attack in Karachi, Pakistan, on Feb. 17, 2023. At least three attackers were killed and 10 people wounded on Friday night when a group of terrorists opened fire at a police building in Karachi, police and hospital officials said. (Str/Xinhua)
The Karachi terror attack occurred after a deadly suicide attack at a Peshawar Civil Lines mosque that left 84 dead, reported Geo News.
Speaking about the economic crisis, Asif said that Pakistan has already defaulted as the country and there is no early respite in sight, reported The News International.
Incidentally, his statement comes even before Pakistan could get an IMF bailout.
“The country has defaulted. We live in a state that has defaulted,” Asif, a senior leader of the main party in the coalition government, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), said while addressing a convention at a private college in Sialkot.
Pakistan’s economy is in dire straits, stricken by a balance-of-payments crisis as it attempts to service high levels of external debt amid political chaos and deteriorating security.
Inflation has rocketed, the rupee has plummeted and the country can no longer afford imports, causing a severe decline in the industry, reported The News International.
The critical position of foreign exchange reserves — which stand at around USD 3.19 billion as of February 10 — reflects the miseries of the USD 350 billion economy struggling to fund imports as thousands of containers of supplies were stranding at its ports stalling production and putting jobs of millions of people at risk.
Khawaja Asif said all the solutions to Pakistan’s economic problems are within the country and not the International Monetary Fund (IMF) — whose crucial USD 1.1 billion loan Pakistan is desperately trying to secure, reported The News International.
Presenting a solution to address the country’s economic woes, the Pak defence minister said that golf clubs were built on 1,500 acres of government land and Pakistan can pay off a quarter of its debt by selling two of its golf clubs.
He added that everyone, including the country’s military, bureaucracy and politicians, are to blame for the current economic mess as the law and Constitution is not followed in Pakistan, The News International.
“For the last 32 years, I have seen politics getting disgraced in Pakistan,” he further said.
Stricken by a balance-of-payments crisis as it attempts to reduce high levels of external debt amid political chaos and deteriorating security, Pakistan’s economy is going through a crisis.
Inflation has rocketed, the Pakistani rupee has plummeted and the country can no longer afford imports – causing a severe decline in the industry.
Life for the Pakistani masses, which was already tough given the current state of the country’s economy, got even harder after the petrol price surged to a historic high of Rs 272 per litre — in line with the IMF’s demands. (ANI)
The attackers had been wearing explosive vests, out of which one had been detonated by the bomber; while two had been defused by the squad
An inquiry report prepared by the bomb disposal squad on the Karachi Police Office (KPO) attack revealed that each of the six to 10 terrorists, who stormed the building, carried almost 8 kg of explosive material in their suicide vests.
Right after the incident on Friday night, the bomb disposal team prepared a detailed report behind the happenings at the crime scene.
Police officers take positions behind their vehicles near the site of an attack in Karachi, Pakistan, on Feb. 17, 2023. (Str/Xinhua)
As per the report, the attackers had been wearing explosive vests, out of which one had been detonated by the bomber; while two had been defused by the squad, Samaa TV reported.
It added that seven to eight kgs of explosives had been used in each suicide vest, following the intensity of blast recorded after one of the bombers detonated his jacket on the fourth floor.
The explosion damaged the building structure while the windows of the nearby buildings also shattered, Samaa TV reported.
The report stated that the police officials recovered a white vehicle from the scene and seized ammunition hidden inside it.
While, there is no such record of the car being stolen by someone or the terrorists.
Two terrorists have been identified as Kifayatullah who hailed from Lucky Marwat while Zalnur hailed from North Waziristan, Samaa TV reported.
Militants wearing suicide vests and carrying automatic weapons and grenades stormed the Karachi Police Office (KPO) on Friday.
A gun battle raged for more than three hours following the assault after dusk, as security forces went floor-to-floor through the building in pursuit of the assailants. The forces retook the building after killing the three militants, a government spokesperson said, The Express Tribune reported.
People examine a police building following an attack in Karachi, Pakistan. (Str/Xinhua)
The attack, claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), came just weeks after a bomb blast at a police mosque in Peshawar killed over 100 people, mostly policemen.
Officials said late on Friday that security would be stepped up in Islamabad, Express Tribune reported.
The tightly guarded KPO is located behind the Saddar police station on Sharea Faisal. The compound is home to dozens of administrative and residential buildings as well as hundreds of officers and their families.
The attack began between 7 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. on Friday. The terrorists, reportedly drove a silver-coloured vehicle to reach the Saddar Police Lines behind the KPO. The assailants first entered a local mosque near the KPO under the cover of indiscriminate fire.
The imam of the mosque told The Express Tribune that he had concluded the Maghrib prayers, when he heard the gunshots. He added that as soon as he came out of the mosque, the terrorists opened fire at him but he managed to escape.
A sweeper lost his life due to firing by the terrorists there, officials said later. The terrorists then reached the KPO premises and entered the building. The police said the attackers used more than 20 hand grenades during the assault.
As soon as the incident was reported, police, Rangers and the Special Security Unit, officers from other agencies and trained commandos reached the spot. Sharea Faisal was closed for traffic, while electricity supply was also cut off in the area, Express Tribune reported.
During the initial operation, a terrorist wearing a suicide jacket blew himself up on the fourth floor of the building. After that, the police and Rangers commandos started searching the upper floors of the building.
During that time, the area reverberated with heavy gunfire and loud explosions from inside the compound. Finally, the terrorists reached the roof of the building where they hunkered down until they were killed by the Rangers and police commandos in a tough battle, Express Tribune reported.
Karachi South Deputy Inspector General of Police Irfan Baloch said up to 30 policemen were present at the time of the attack. He added the terrorists carried hand grenades and Kalashnikovs, besides gram, dates, water bottles and other items.
The car in which the terrorists had come was left running throughout the operation. The police later recovered an Ajrak, a mat, slippers, water bottles, a number plate placed on the dashboard and a magazine, Express Tribune reported.
Among 5 militants, three of them blew themselves up while two were gunned down in the shootout that took place.
At least 5 Pakistan Taliban militants and 4 people, including rangers and police personnel, were killed after the four-hour-long operation by the Law enforcement agencies in Pakistan’s Karachi, weeks after the deadly attack in Peshawar’s police line, Geo News reported.
The incident happened on Friday night at the headquarters of Karachi police in south Sindh province.
Among 5 militants, three of them blew themselves up while two were gunned down in the shootout that took place on Friday, officials confirmed. Meanwhile, 18 people were injured, officials confirmed to Geo News, the latest attack on security forces as terrorism grips the nation.
After the long-hour operation, the LEAs cleared the five-story office of the city’s police chief.
The incident invited strong criticism from the top government officials, however, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Geo News that “condemnations are not enough” and strict action must be taken against militants.
The attack began at 7:10 pm, while police and Rangers personnel cleared the five-story building in phases, finally sweeping the entire office by around 10:46 pm.
Rangers and police teams have started a joint operation against the terrorists following the armed attack on the Karachi Police Office (KPO) – the Additional Inspector General (AIG) Office, reported ARY News.
The Rangers spokesperson said that the quick response force (QRF) of the paramilitary troops surrounded the KPO building and took their positions. An operation was started by Rangers and police to clear the KPO from terrorists.
Massive attack underway since last more than three hours at Karachi Police Chief’s Office. Major gun flight underway between terrorists and Pakistani security forces. Pakistani home grown terrorists attack in the heart of Pakistan. Ongoing attack, situation remains grim. pic.twitter.com/E4GhH12pEF
The spokesperson added that the operation is being conducted on the reported presence of eight to 10 terrorists in the Karachi police chief’s office.
A police officer, who did not want to be named, told Geo News that the attackers entered the office wearing police uniforms — a similar move used in the Peshawar mosque suicide attack that claimed the lives of more than 80 people.
Meanwhile, seven people including Rangers police personnel have been injured, reported Geo News.
Police officials said that armed suspects — whose total numbers are unknown at the moment — fired several rounds at the head office — located adjacent to the Saddar Police Station.
In view of the terrorists’ attack, the Karachi Traffic Police blocked both sides of Shara-e-Faisal from Avari Hotel to Nursery.
Talking exclusively to Geo News, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that there was a general security threat following the terror attack in Peshawar. “All the institutions are fully alert across the country,” he added.
The security czar stressed the need for taking further steps to counter the fresh wave of terrorism.
“The police have said that the terrorists threw a grenade after parking the vehicle, and used that as a cover for entering the building,” he revealed.
In a statement, Islamabad IG Akbar Nasir Khan confirmed that security is on high alert in the federal capital and all officers have been instructed to stay in their respective areas, reported Geo News.
“Checking of entry and exit routes and inside the city has been increased,” he said, adding that officials have been directed to keep all important buildings and Red Zone on high alert. (ANI)
The report argues that “the Taliban’s response to being confronted about their support for the TTP has been to the level counter-accusations – which does not signal an impending shift away from that support”….reports Hamza Ameer
A leading US think tank has stated that the Afghan Taliban in Afghanistan are unlikely to stop their extended support to the militants of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Pakistan, due to ideological understanding of top Afghan Taliban leadership.
In a latest report, issued by US think tank United States Institute of Peace (USIP), the state of security in Pakistan, its latest surge, re-emergence of TTP led terror attacks and its direct link to the Afghan Taliban regime in Kabul have been discussed in detail.
“Amid Pakistan’s economic crisis and the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan, the Pakistani Taliban have re-emerged as an increasingly potent threat,” maintained the USIP report.
The report also referred to the recent criticism by Kabul on Islamabad’s policies, stating that the Afghan Taliban undiplomatic rhetoric underscores the Taliban’s determination to continue supporting the TTP, even in the face of intensified pressure from Pakistan.
Pakistan has called upon the Afghan Taliban to take action against TTP militants, who are operating from Afghan soil and coordinating terror attacks in Pakistan.
Pakistan has maintained that Afghan Taliban regime in Kabul needs to stand up to its commitment that it would not allow its soil to be used for terror activities against other countries.
The USIP report argues that “the Taliban’s response to being confronted about their support for the TTP has been to the level counter-accusations – which does not signal an impending shift away from that support”.
The report also links the Afghan Taliban counter-accusations with the reports of various UN officials and other observers, who have confirmed the free movement of TTP militants in various parts of Afghanistan and even conducting business in Afghan cities.
It is also a fact that all TTP militants, who were put behind bars during Asrhaf Ghani time in Afghanistan, were immediately released after the Afghan Taliban takeover. And even today, they are seen having comfortable and free movement across the country.
It is because of this ground reality that the Afghan Taliban were unlikely to stop supporting the TTP on ideological grounds, stated the USIP report.
Another big aspect that is having direct impact on Pakistan’s future policy and its response is its deteriorating economy, which limits the country from launching an all out offensive against TTP, something that the Afghan Taliban are also aware of.
“That limits Pakistan’s military options. Pakistan can carry out raids and undertake defensive actions inside the country, but it doesn’t have the resources for a sustained high intensity campaign,” USIP highlighted.
The report also highlighted the political pressures on the current Pakistani government, which was slammed for “framing the terrorism resurgence as a conspiracy by the military to block former prime minister Imran Khan’s return to power and to get American aid”.
“The Afghan Taliban remain very supportive of the TTP and are providing the group with a permissive safe haven. TTP also had a lot of popular support in Afghanistan, where both Taliban and non-Taliban constituencies get behind the TTP due to a fervent dislike for Pakistan,” the USIP report maintained.
One major point of extended support of Afghan Taliban to the TTP terror activities inside Pakistan is the ideological understanding of top Afghan Taliban leadership, despite the fact that Afghan Taliban Interior Minister Siraj Haqqani, had restrained the TTP from carrying out attacks inside Pakistan on many occasions.
However, the opinion gets balanced by the Taliban Amir Hibatullah Akhundzada, who agrees with the TTP that Pakistani system is un-islamic and that it needs to be challenged for imposition of a Shariah Islamic system.
The civil and military leadership held the banned TTP responsible for the carnage in Peshawar this week.
Pakistan has decided to seek the intervention of Taliban supreme leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada to control the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terror group, according to official sources.
During an Apex Committee meeting in Peshawar, the civil and military leadership held the banned TTP responsible for the carnage in the city this week, and decided to take up the matter with the interim Afghan government at the highest level, with a clear message that Pakistan would no longer tolerate cross-border terrorism, The Express Tribune reported.
Although the TTP has denied its involvement in Monday’s suicide blast at a mosque in the Peshawar Police Lines, a briefing given to the Apex Committee suggested that the banned outfit was indeed the mastermind of the attack.
The meeting at the Governor House in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) capital was held in the wake of a deadly terrorist attack in the Police Lines in which more than 100 people, mostly policemen, were killed.
At Apex Committee meeting today, civil & military leadership expressed unflinching resolve to protect the people of Pakistan at any cost. Those who attacked innocent citizens will be brought to justice. We will not allow anti-terror gains to be reversed. 1/3
The meeting was presided over by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The participants of the meeting included Army chief Gen Syed Asim Munir, DG ISI Lt-Gen Nadeem Anjum, Peshawar Corps Commander, DGMO and other military officials as well as senior cabinet members, chief ministers of the four provinces, Gilgilt-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was invited to the all-important meeting but it did not attend.
The marathon meeting discussed how the suicide bomber managed to enter the high security zone, who the perpetrator was and how the government would respond to the renewed threat posed by the TTP.
The meeting was informed that the TTP, indeed, carried out the attack but because of fear of backlash from the Afghan Taliban, it did not own it, publicly.
Taliban Supremo Haibatullah Akhundzada
Insiders told The Express Tribune that Pakistan would seek the intervention of Akhundzada to control the banned terror outfit.
The meeting noted that despite the resurgence of terrorism in the country, terrorists did not hold any specific area, therefore there was no need for a full-scale military operations.
Instead, according to Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, the intelligence-based operations would continue.
The rise in the TTP-sponsored attacks has pushed the authorities concerned to revisit the strategy pursued by the previous government…reports Asian Lite News
The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) leader, Mufti Noor Wali Mehsood, has indicated that his outfit is still amenable to a ceasefire agreement with the Pakistan government.
“We held talks with Pakistan mediated by Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan. We are still open to the ceasefire agreement,” Mehsood said in a message.
The statement indicated that the TTP sought guidance from religious scholars, saying: “If you find anything mislaid, any negligence or if you believe we have changed our course – you, being our teachers and religious scholars, [should] guide us the same way as you guided us earlier. We are ready to listen to your opinion,” Dawn reported.
On January 4, TTP’s supreme council issued a fresh directive on ‘meeting’ the TTP chief when it banned any meeting with the chief stating ‘security’ concerns until further orders where at the same time directions were issued for its affiliates to carry on with their activities under command of the local leadership.
On November 28, 2022, the banned outfit, in a statement, called off the ceasefire agreed with the government in June 2022 and ordered its militants to stage attacks across the country, Dawn reported.
Amid an upsurge in terrorist attacks, the country’s civil and military leadership is undertaking a major policy review in order to stem the tide of banned TTP, The Express Tribune reported.
The rise in the TTP-sponsored attacks has pushed the authorities concerned to revisit the strategy pursued by the previous government.
Official sources say closed-door discussions are ongoing and major decisions are expected in the next couple of weeks.
The announcement comes a day after Pakistan Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday said there will be no talks with TTP or any other terrorist organisation..reports Asian Lite News
The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Wednesday announced that it was mulling decisive steps against the two major parties of the ruling coalition — the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
“If these two parties remain firm on their position and continue to be slaves of the army, then action will be taken against their leading people,” The Express Tribune quoted by TTP as saying in a statement. “People should avoid getting close to such leading people,” the outfit added. The TTP said the whole world is aware that the “Jihadi field of TTP is only Pakistan and our target is the security agencies occupying the country”.
The announcement comes a day after Pakistan Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday said there will be no talks with TTP or any other terrorist organisation, Geo News reported.
Sanaullah’s remarks come amid a recent spate of attacks by the banned TTP after the group ended a ceasefire with Islamabad.
Talking about the National Security Committee meeting, in an interview, Sanaullah said Pakistan has decided to share evidence with the Taliban government as the terrorists based in Afghanistan were orchestrating terror directing at his country.
The Pakistan interior minister said Afghanistan had promised that its territory would not be used against any other country, and the Afghan government would be asked to fulfill that promise, Geo News reported. He said it has been decided in the NSC meeting that there will be no talks with TTP or any other terrorist group.
On Tuesday, the Taliban asked Pakistan to “avoid baseless talks and provocative ideas”, two days after Sanaullah’s said the country will target TTP hideouts inside Afghanistan.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan wants peaceful relations with all its neighbouring countries, including Pakistan and believes in all the ways that can lead to achieve this goal,” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement posted on their Twitter handle.
In the statement, Mujahid said it was regrettable that Pakistani officials were making ‘false statements’ about Afghanistan. He said ‘Islamic Emirate’ is trying its best not to use the territory of Afghanistan against Pakistan or any other country.
“We are committed to this goal, but the Pakistani side also has a responsibility to resolve the situation, avoid baseless talks and provocative ideas, because such talks and mistrust are not in the interest of any side,” he added.
This latest statement comes after the Taliban rejected comments made by Pakistan’s interior minister about the presence of Tehreek Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan.
The Islamic group said that it was prepared to protect the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. (ANI)
The grave terrorist threat confronting Pakistan is evident from the Bannu hostage crisis ( Dec 19-21) followed by the Islamabad suicide attack by two suicide bombers including a female at I-10/4 on Dec 23 in which one policeman was killed and six others injured….reports Asian Lite News
The recent terrorist strike in Pakistan by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the Bannu region and Sunday’s multiple bomb blasts that took place in Islamabad’s I-10 sector shows that terror incidents have increased particularly after TTP called off their ceasefire with the government in November.
Pakistan has become highly vulnerable due to the political mess created by ex-premier and PTI chairman Imran Khan in the last eight months after his ouster from power and coupled with the country’s crippled economy. Security is being challenged daily by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other terrorist groups including Daesh/IS-K and Baloch insurgents.
Imran’s antics to push the state to the wall for his ultimate quest for power, no matter if the country is destroyed appear unstoppable. He is not ready to reconcile that his dream of remaining in power till 2030, if not for a lifetime, under the Imran project envisaged by Pakistan military establishment, has been wrapped up by the creators of the project due to his utter incompetence, inefficiency and stubbornness domestically and globally.
Security personnel investigate at the site of a suicide attack in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad on Dec. 23, 2022. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal/IANS)
Immediately after the new Army Chief General Asim Munir whose appointment was blocked by the Imran-Faiz duo till the last moment assumed office, the TTP terrorist, who allegedly have been favourites of the duo, has gone berserk with alarmingly heightened activities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Balochistan and even in twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The grave terrorist threat confronting Pakistan is evident from the Bannu hostage crisis ( Dec 19-21) followed by the Islamabad suicide attack by two suicide bombers including a female at I-10/4 on Dec 23 in which one policeman was killed and six others injured.
The Bannu operation ended in the wee hours of Dec 21 with 25 militants killed, three captured and seven surrendered. The JCO, who was held hostage and three soldiers were also killed.
Pakistani analysts and observers are concerned over the apathy of the KPK government and said that it is non-serious over increasing terrorist activities in the province and is focused on pleasing and serving Imran at Zaman Park residence and playing politics at his behest.
All resources are being diverted either to Zaman Park or Bani Gala. KPK CM Mehmood Khan along with his cabinet is guarding Zaman Park with other PTI leaders.
Some sections of people have started asking for accountability of those re-activating the TTP. Prominent media personalities including Talat Hussain urged the military establishment to openly stand by the govt to tackle the menace of terrorism, adding that it should not shy away in the guise of “neutrality”. PTI has already dismissed its narrative of neutrality.
Another journalist Azaz Syed reacting to the Islamabad suicide attack informed that Islamabad police had issued a threat alert a couple of days ago about a possible attack in Islamabad.
He opined that terrorism can be tackled only after political instability and polarization come to an end. He revealed that TTP has launched a drive in Afghanistan for the enrollment of suicide bombers for attacks in Pakistan in the coming days.
He said that Pakistan is in a state of limited war on the western border and a new military operation is in the offing. He revealed that around 1000 terrorist incidents have taken place this year.
Security threats from TTP will further cripple Pakistan’s economy.(photo:IN)
Over 925 terrorist attacks had been carried out by the TTP and over 31 by Daesh. Ninety-five per cent of said terrorist acts took place in KPK. Over 110 policemen, 90-95 security personnel, around 235 civilians and pro-govt people and 210 terrorists have been killed.
Saleem Safi, an expert on the Taliban issue and Islamists while commenting on the Islamabad incident said that following the suicide attack in the I-10/4 sector of Islamabad, no one in Pakistan should have any doubt that terrorist acts will remain confined to KPK alone.
“If the government, the army, and intelligence agencies don’t realise the gravity of the threat looming large on the country, people can witness the 2014 scenario again,” said Safi.
He said that it is clear that Pakistani policymakers had evolved a policy based on their perceptions and desires regarding the Afghan Taliban and TTP. Through right-wing parties, PTI and defence analysts so much propaganda was made that every Pakistani started believing them. The perception developed was that the TTA and the TTP had no mutual linkage. The TTP has been created by the RAW and Afghan intelligence agencies. Some people attributed it to the US, ignoring that all Ameers of TTP had been killed in US drone strikes.
Pakistanis were given a lollypop that as soon as the Pak-friendly Afghan Taliban emerge successful in Afghanistan; organisations like TTP will cease to exist automatically. This was the reason Pakistan was the only country where the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul was celebrated.
It was Pakistan and the then PM Imran Khan who announced that the Afghans have broken shackles of the slavery. Pak media stormed Kabul for celebrating this victory, the way western media had arrived there in a victorious manner after the American takeover of Kabul.
The second blunder is that Pak policymakers neither try to find out the root cause of any problem nor try to root out it. It occurred in the case of TTP too. The TTP was either temporarily suppressed through military operations or pushed to Afghanistan.
The sentence “we have broken the backbone of the terrorists” had been made a common saying but the harsh reality was that nothing significant had been broken.
In fact, American drones had inflicted damages on the TTP. No TTP leader could be targeted through Pak military operations. All top TTP commanders including Maulana Nek Muhammad, Baitullah Mehsud, Hakeemullah Mehsud and Maulana Fazlullah were killed in drone strikes. Because of drones, it had become highly difficult for TTP leadership to establish contacts or gather in one place. After the pullout of the US, this fear became minimal.
The question is where and why the TTP resurfaced with so much might and ferocity. Some of the reasons are:
Afghan and Pak Taliban carry identical ideologies and beliefs. Their perception of jihad and Qitaal (fighting/killing) is the same. Pak Taliban took up arms in support of its Afghan counterparts. When they saw that the Afghan Taliban have defeated powers like the US and NATO through armed struggle, the morale of TTP and other militant groups got a strong boost.
The TTP had got divided into various factions over the years. Pakistani Taliban had formed a separate group called Jamaatul Ahrar under the leadership of Abdul Wali @ Khalid Khurasani. Hafiz Saeed (of Kurram Agency) and others had joined Daesh.
Mufti Noor Wali, who besides being a Mehsud and a religious scholar, after becoming Ameer of TTP not only reunited all factions but also inducted new groups into the TTP. This process still continues. A couple of days ago, a militant group from the Makran Division of Balochistan under command of Mazar Baloch pledged allegiance to Mufti Noor Wali.
On the other hand, no attention was paid to this issue during the Imran Khan government’s time. Regrettably, this issue lagged much behind in the tenure of the present govt. No single day has passed since the last year when no terrorist act has been carried out in KPK.
Moreover, Pak policy and perception makers had convinced that the TTP enjoys the backing of the Karzai and Ashraf Ghani governments. Still, the fact was that around 4000 TTP militants including prominent TTP leader from Bajaur Maulvi Faqir Muhammad, who were languishing in Afghan prisons were released by the Afghan Taliban. After the release, they rejoined the TTP.
Over the years, Pakistani Taliban had established their safe havens in the caves and mountains of provinces of Kunar, Nooristan, Paktia, Nangarhar and Khost but following the fall of Kabul, the whole of Afghanistan was at their disposal. They can now sit together, hold consultations and chalk out plans. A large strength of the Taliban has shifted to tribal districts and areas like Swat.
The TTP militants and their sympathizers were present in various areas of Pakistan in the form of sleeper cells but they were silent in absence of contact with their leadership. After the Taliban’s victory, they also shifted to Afghanistan and become active along with the leadership.
After American withdrawal from Afghanistan, TTP’s resources witnessed an unprecedented increase and they got the most sophisticated weapons and armouries, abandoned by the Americans because of the areas in which they were present or putting up resistance, they got these arms as booty.
The American pull-out and advent of the Taliban warrant great sagacity and strategies on the behalf of Pakistan but the Imran government displayed utmost haste.
A direct dialogue was held with the TTP at the DG ISI level wherein intangible promises were made. The irony after the change of government at the federal level was that the issue of dialogue rested with the Corps Commander Peshawar and KPK government, while the federal govt acted as a silent spectator.
Even now the PM, the FM and govt functionaries like Maulana Fazlur Rehman have the least interest in this matter. The Bannu CTD centre where several security forces personnel had been held hostage by the terrorists is the latest example.
In short, Pakistan rulers and political classes are taking the matter very lightly which on the contrary is a grave issue. It also requires all-out political and diplomatic endeavours and consensus among various governments and institutions. (ANI)
