THERE are certain elements backed by foreign forces which would not have been happy with the peaceful and smooth conduct of Provincial Assembly elections in the erstwhile FATA belt on Saturday. As their conspiracies to disrupt the democratic process were foiled by our security forces and the tribal people, they targeted the adjacent Dera Ismail Khan with multiple attacks killing at least six policemen and three civilians while leaving scores of others injured.
It was a well-planned attack to inflict maximum damage and create sense of insecurity amongst the masses as the terrorists first attacked a security check-point and then hit the hospital with a suicide blast where injured of the gun attack were brought for treatment. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Spokesman Muhammad Khurasani claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement sent to local media. It is a known fact now that as a result of successful operation against terrorists from tribal belt to Karachi, the TTP has no longer any formal infrastructure in Pakistan and the outfit is now mainly headquartered in Afghanistan’s Kunar province. The terrorist outfit has orchestrated series of deadliest attacks inside Pakistan including a suicide attack on a military complex and the cold-blooded murder of over 150 school children in Peshawar. It was also behind D. I. Khan’s notorious jailbreak in July 2013 which saw about 240 criminals including 35 high profile terrorists getting scot free. The Afghan leadership never misses any opportunity to accuse Pakistan of any terror attack in their territory but the fact is that the Afghan land is being used by the TTP to perpetrate terror acts against Pakistan and the multiple attacks in D. I. Khan was also aimed at denting the peaceful image of the country at a time when Prime Minister Imran Khan is on a very important visit to the US. Our authorities should forcefully raise the matter with the Afghan counterparts and seek effective action against the elements posing threat to Pakistan’s security. We should also enhance coordination between intelligence agencies and security forces in sensitive areas such as D. I. Khan to pre-empt terror activities as the country cannot afford to give any space to the terrorists and allow them to regroup.
