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| Pak ambivalence stoking terrorist fires across borders | | | M.M.Khajooria | 3/22/2016 11:58:11 PM |
| Pakistan Army operations in North Waziristan, codenamed Zarb-i-Azb, which commenced in June 2014 had entered the final phase . It may be recalled that Pak army ,a fine and superbly provisioned modern war machine went full blast into the combat against Tehrek-i- Taliban Pakistan after the monstrous attack on the Peshawar Army Public School which claimed lives of 130 innocent school children .The operation drew enormous strength from a comprehensive and focussed National Action Plan approved by the entire political class of that country rooted in amendments to the Constitution and establishment of Military courts to try terrorists. Even the power to confirm execution of terrorists sentenced to death was invested in the Chief of the Army Staff. The ban earlier imposed on executions was lifted. Over two hundred terrorists had been hanged to death by now.
The successes achieved by the Pakistan army in operation ' Zarb-i-Azb' were publically acknowledged and lauded by the US government - the provider of funds , critical war material and most modern combat Aeroplanes. The troops were now said to be engaged in clearing the Shawal valley of stray remnants and consolidating control on the territory .Military top brass went public and declared in 15 March, 2016 Corps commanders Conference at the General Headquarters that the army was about to conclude the military offensive in tribal areas. Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif, while chairing the apex Army decision making body , called for ensuring that terrorists do not get a foothold in the region again An ISPR statement. also disclosed that " the COAS emphasis ed, as we move towards conclusion of large-scale kinetic operations in Fata, there is a need to look ahead and consolidate the gains for long-term stability,". The Army claim may have been a bit pre-mature. This was evidenced by a bomb blast in a bus carrying government officials from Mardan to Pehawar when the private bus near Sunehri Masjid the very next day killing more than 16 persons including three women and causing injuries to 30 others eight of whom landed in ICU . Fear and panic spread among residents in the wake of the explosion. "The top part of the bus has blown off and is being cut to pull out the injured," said an eyewitness quoted by The Express Tribune . According to SP Peshawar Cantt, Kashif Zulfiqar the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) planted inside the bus. About 8 kg of explosives were used in blast. Lashkar-e-Islam, a militant group affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility, saying it was to avenge the sentencing of 13 militants to death which was confirmed by army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif only the other day. Peshawar had witnessed scores of attacks on civilians as well as law enforcement personnel in the pas in. the city that was home to the XI Corps, an administrative CORPS of the Pakistan Army, responsible for all military activity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as also the on -going full-blown operation against terrorists in North Waziristan. Lesson. The Pak Taliban may be down but not out yet. They retain the capability to launch sporadic attacks on security forces and civilian targets .And isn't it amazing that even after getting the severe beating they did in Waziristan at the hands of PAK army, instead of disappearing to replenish and regroup they were not only persisting with revenge attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but also showing unmistakeable signs of mainstreaming their variety of terror .Only a fortnight back a TTP suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded court in Shabqadar Bazaar of Charsadda district killing 17 and injuring 31 others. The Taliban claimed it was revenge for the execution of Qadri, the disgraceful PSO who killed the secular Punjab province governor Salman Taseer .Tasser had the courage of conviction to pay a visit to a Christian family manifestly unjustifiably accused under the draconian Blasphemy Law. He chose to ignore threats to his life from the fundamentalists. This was, perhaps Talibans first ever operational response to a happening in the plains of Pakistan. The gravity of the challenge and the outreach of terror outfits can be gauged from the decision taken by the Pak army to hencefoParth use the Ops Code named 'Zarb-i-Azb' "more broadly as an overarching counter-terrorism plan, which included both 'kinetic operations' in Fata and 'intelligence-based operations (IBOs)' in the rest of the country." Talking to 'Dawn, 'military spokesman Lt Gen Asim Bajwa underscored the thrust by asserting that "while the operations in Fata were drawing to a close, Zarb-i-Azb as a strategy would continue with intensified IBOs across the country targeting terrorist infrastructure" Confirming the presence of Bagdadiis' Islamic Caliphate in Pakistan , the Intelligence Bureau chief ,Aftab Sultan told the Senate In an 'in-camera' briefing that security forces had smashed an ISIS network in Pakistan after the Karachi Safoora Goth bus massacre last year. His assertion about IS was at odds with Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan who repeatedly denied the existence of the murderous militant group's footprint on Pakistani soil."But more significant than this contrast, or contradiction if you like" wroteNasir Khan , a former editor of daily Dawn '" was Aftab Sultan's reported assessment that the mindset of two generations was affected by (the toxic religiosity of) Zia's rule and it was imperative to change this thinking. It cannot be reformed overnight and would take eight to 10 years for this to happen." .Nasir had no problem with the span indicated by Aftab .but was bothered by "the ongoing confusion, for what else can one call it, in the minds of the architects and executors of the national security policy and their ambivalence towards the terrorists of various descriptions that led to the cliché good and bad Taliban" What pained him was that "while this mindset, which I consider no less than an existential threat to the country, can be reversed over a period of time one sees no sign of the sort of concerted, cohesive effort that would demonstrably need to go in."
"How else would you see that Punjab-based Jaish-e-Mohammad led by Maulana Masood Azhar had been left at liberty to operate out of offices in provincial urban centres, despite being on a list of 'proscribed' militant entities?" he asked and reminded that "Only perfunctory action against the group was initiated when the Indians blamed it for the Pathankot air force base attack. Jaish's attack on the Indian parliament in 2001, after its hijacking of an Indian airliner, nearly triggered war between the two countries.Jaish has had an overlap of membership with Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan, the two organisations which, according to the IB chief, now have close ties with IS. All share similar sectarian ideologies." . "We let the Haqqani network operate from safe havens on our soil for years. But neither the Taliban leadership nor the Haqqani network have ever lent us a helping hand in eradicating TTP sanctuaries in Afghanistan where the former's martial prowess is said to be the major reason of our support to them." He concluded. How could Pak rulers be unaware that by their conduct of affairs they were stoking terrorist fires in the region? These developments have to be viewed in the context of slow but steady spread of ISIS network across countries and continents. The faction of the TTP engaged in above and other similar terror attacks was known to have established "fraternal" relations with Bagdadis' caliphate. Even in Afghanistan where even AlQueda brand of Global terrorism remained adopted the ethenc tribal Jirga model ,.powerful Tribal commanders were known to have switched loyalties and opted for ISIS . The threats to our national security were obvious and immense . we need to realistically factor in the realities of Pakistan terrorist scene in to our Strategic Doctrine and craft counter measures to safeguard over nation interests? The nation has a right to be assured on this count by the powers that be.
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