CHIEF of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday stressed the need to remain vigilant against hostile at tempts to reverse the gains of Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad.
His comments came during his visit to the North and South Waziristan districts where he was briefed on the progress of the border management regime, stabilisation operations and socio-economic development projects including the opening of border terminals.
This is a timely warning in the backdrop of attempts being made by anti-peace elements both within the country and conspiracies being hatched by some regional countries for resurrection of terrorist activities as part of their designs to undermine security as well as the march of the country on the road to progress and prosperity.
Pakistan has invested hugely both in terms of men and material in its war against extremism and terrorism as it wants to focus on its economic development.
It launched an all-encompassing operation against terrorists of all sorts and initiated a multitude of legal, administrative and economic measures to address the menace of terrorism on a long-term basis.
The merger of the formerly FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) with KP and border management were among the key elements of the strategy to tackle the challenge in a comprehensive and sustainable manner.
Though Pakistan has diverted more funds from its scarce resources to the war against terror but this cannot be done for a longer period as the country cannot afford to ignore socio-economic consequences of such a strategy.
It is, therefore, trying its best to consolidate gains it has so far made on the counter-terrorism front but complete success is not possible without matching cooperation and commitment of the other countries of the region and influential world capitals.
Peace has been restored in the erstwhile troubled areas but the goal of sustainable stability is deeply linked to social and economic transformation, a goal that requires enormous funding.
Apart from eradication of terrorists that are operating freely from their havens on the other side of the Durand Line, the United States and other members of the international community ought to extend fullest possible cooperation to Pakistan in making the process of mainstreaming (of terrorist hit regions) a success.
