AS some political parties persist with their opposition of the vision “Azm-e-Istehkam”, Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif has clarified different aspects of the proposed anti-terror campaign indicating that Pakistan could target terrorist hideouts across the border in Afghanistan as well. In an interview with the Voice of America (VoA), he promised that any political parties’ concerns about the operation would be addressed, and the government would bring the matter to the assembly to answer questions and build trust among members. The Defence Minister dismissed the possibility of negotiations with the TTP, which is the main source of the ongoing terrorist activities in the country.
The decision to take all political parties and stakeholders on board is significant as this is deeply linked to the success of any counter-terrorist strategy. There is no reason that different segments of the society would not support the campaign when there are no two opinions about the need to eliminate remnants of terrorism, playing with the lives and properties of the people and challenging the writ of the State. There are reasons to believe that opposition to ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’ is politically motivated as is confirmed by the latest statement of JUI(F) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman. It is strange that on the one hand, he opposes the proposed operation but on the other hand, he sees ‘establishment of an Islamic Emirate’ in southern districts of KP’. He also claimed that in some parts of the KP, members of armed groups take control of areas after sunset, establishing their own check-posts and controlling the traffic. The statement itself is reflective of the ground realities and the need to take decisive action to decimate the potential threat to the security and progress of the country. Can any sovereign country worth the name allow establishment of a state within the state and give permission to armed groups to take up administrative control of some local pockets? The KP Government too is criticizing the proposed operation but isn’t it the responsibility of the provincial government to ensure supremacy of law and the Constitution in its areas of jurisdiction and if yes what steps it has taken to secure these areas? The critics mainly cite the possible collateral damage as the reason to oppose the operation but the authorities concerned have repeatedly stated that this would not be a formal but intelligence based operation against specific targets. The readiness of the Government to brief the parliamentarians or participants of an All Parties Conference (APC) on different aspects and dimensions of the threat and the operation would hopefully remove misunderstanding in this regard. As for cross-border operation, it is not desirable because of the possibility of its adverse impact on bilateral relations with Afghanistan but Pakistan is left with no other option as the other side is not willing to address grievances of Islamabad despite availability of the concrete evidence about involvement of Afghan-based TTP elements in terrorist activities in Pakistan. The firm position of Pakistan that there would be no dialogue with the TTP is also understandable as the terrorist outfit was making demands that no country can afford to accept. The Minister also referred to about 4,000 sleeper cell members, which were brought back on Imran Khan’s orders for spreading unrest in Pakistan. It was in this backdrop that Pakistan had decided to strictly enforce international laws at its borders with Afghanistan to restrict the influx of militants and smuggled goods into the country. It is strange that despite its sensitivity to the issue of national sovereignty, Afghanistan is opposing measures introduced by Pakistan to regulate the border as per standard global practice. The free-for-all movement of goods and human beings on the western border is not only one of the major factors behind the deteriorating security environment in Pakistan but also a major source of economic and financial losses to the country. In the given situation, there is no other option but to launch a decisive operation to counter threats to the security and economy of the country. While planners and strategists would surely brief parliamentarians and politicians about their strategy to make the operation a success, it is for the KP Government and other critics to put forward their counter proposals to save precious lives and economy of the country in the face of renewed threats by terrorist outfits.
