The situation at the time was that local residents of KP province were demanding military action against the TTP terrorists but both the government and the Pakistan Army were refusing to act.
Two years ago, mass protests erupted in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. [KP] A province fighting the expansion of the Taliban in Pakistan [TTP] Terrorists in Swat Valley. Yet instead of treating this grave security concern expressed by the public with the seriousness it deserves, the Pakistan Army has inexplicably chosen to downplay the seriousness of the situation, saying that “misinformation has been created on social media regarding the claim that a large number of militant cadres of the banned organisation TTP are present in the Swat Valley” and termed it “grossly exaggerated and misleading”.
The issue was also raised in Pakistan’s National Assembly where the sharp increase in TTP militant terrorists in Swat Valley was so noticeable that ISPR was forced to admit that “the presence of a few armed men has been observed on some mountain peaks between Swat and Dir Valleys”. However, to downplay this disturbing development, ISPR added that the TTP militant terrorists “are in far-flung areas away from the population”. To further allay public fears, ISPR even claimed that “their limited presence and movement in the mountainous areas is being closely monitored”, but subsequent developments make it clear that Rawalpindi has failed to fulfil this promise.
The situation was as follows: the locals of KP province were demanding military action against the TTP terrorists, but both the government and the Pakistan Army refused to act. However, fast forward to the present, the situation has reversed. The Pakistani government has announced its decision to launch Operation Azm-e-Istekam. [Resolve for stability] The stated goal is to “integrate and synergize efforts to counter the threat of extremism and terrorism in a comprehensive and decisive manner,” but the fact that there is public opposition to the operation in KP province, including from some political parties, will no doubt come as a shock to those unfamiliar with the situation.
As widespread sentiment against the military operation in KP has infuriated Pakistan’s top brass, the issue was discussed at the recently concluded Corps Commanders’ Meeting. The meeting was chaired by Pakistan Army Chief General Syed Asif Muneer. The ISPR said the forum “took note with concern of the unwarranted criticism from some quarters and deliberate misrepresentation of the vision.” [of Azm-e-Ishtehkham]solely to pursue their own vested interests.”
They also took note of the “onslaught of politically motivated digital terrorism unleashed by conspirators and aptly supported by foreign allies against state institutions.” [Emphasis added]”We are fully aware of all such conspiracies and will remain united and make all-out efforts to defeat the nefarious designs of the enemies of Pakistan,” he said.
Rawalpindi’s embarrassment is understandable. But trying to attribute the palpable anti-military sentiment to “vested interests” or “foreign allies” is a childish attempt to hide the harsh reality: the people of KP are not opposed to military action against the terror group. Having borne the brunt of the TTP’s violence, they are keen to see it eradicated from KP, but not by ravaging the entire region, a typical anti-terror strategy of the Pakistan Army.
The people of KP, who have suffered horrific experiences of forced disappearances, displacement, destruction of homes, and killing of innocent people in engineered clashes by Pakistani forces in previous operations, are opposed to the free operation of the army in KP. Hence, the public resentment over the military operation in KP is not due to conspirators instigated by “vested interests” or “foreign allies”, but due to the brutality with which the Pakistani army is conducting its counter-terrorism operations, which is not an unfounded allegation.
A 2019 Human Rights Watch report, based on spontaneous revelations by Pakistani human rights activists and lawyers, [HRW] “During counterterrorism operations, Pakistani security forces are often involved in serious human rights violations, including torture, enforced disappearances, detention without charge, and extrajudicial killings,” the report said. [Emphasis added]The report also states that “authorities do not allow independent oversight of military tribunal trials, and many defendants are denied their right to a fair trial.”
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has offered reassurances by stating that “no large-scale military operations that would require evacuation of populations are planned” during Operation Azm-e-Istekam, but his argument that strengthening intelligence-based kinetic counterterrorism operations will be enough to “definitively eradicate the vague, shadowy remnants of terrorist presence” is a clear understatement, since the data on terrorist attacks paints a very different picture.
According to data compiled by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, a well-known Pakistani think tank, [CRSS]The first quarter of this year saw a 17 percent increase in the number of deaths of security force personnel and civilians compared to the fourth quarter of 2023. Moreover, in the first quarter of 2024 alone, there were 245 terror-related incidents, killing 432 people and injuring 370, so who can believe Islamabad’s claim that Pakistan only has “terrorist remnants”?
Rawalpindi continues to blame “vested interests and foreign allies” for fomenting terrorism in Pakistan while conveniently ignoring the fact that it is they themselves who are creating and nurturing this scourge. And while it glibly speaks of its glorious role in the war against terror, the question remains unanswered as to why the Pakistani army has surrendered and signed over a dozen “peace agreements” with various terrorist organisations in the last two decades.
Is it not true that by August 2022, Pakistani forces had not taken any proactive action to prevent the TTP from regaining a foothold in KP province despite ample early warning through clear signs that even civilians could correctly interpret? Finally, can Rawalpindi explain to the Pakistani public the coercive force behind the unconditional release of over 100 TTP terrorists convicted for killing both security forces personnel and civilians?
Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan’s army chief, General Syed Asif Munir, may cite many reasons to justify avoiding coordinated military operations against various terrorist groups, but given the spate of terror attacks, including the recent suicide bombing that saw terrorists storm the heavily guarded Bannu garrison in KP province, killing eight army soldiers, it is clear that both Islamabad and Rawalpindi are merely deceiving their people by claiming that Pakistan only has “terrorist remnants.”
Email:—————-nileshkunwar.56@gmail.com