TWO latest incidents speak volumes about the scale and intensity of the anti-Pakistan activities as well as ability and resolve of the law-enforcing agencies to eliminate the growing threat at all costs. A major of the Pakistan Army embraced martyrdom during an intelligence-based operation against terrorists in the Bajaur district whereas five terrorists belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Khawarij were also sent to hell by the valiant security forces. In another incident, personnel from the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Sindh and intelligence agencies foiled a major terrorist attack in Karachi while also saving a schoolgirl from being used in a suicide plot orchestrated by Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) terrorists.
It is quite evident that the enemy is fully engaged in spreading terror in different parts of the country, especially in KP and Balochistan where personnel of law-enforcing agencies and state symbols are prime targets. The enemy apparently wants to demoralize the law enforcers but the way Major Adeel Zaman offered the supreme sacrifice while leading from the front has relayed a clear message to the conspirators and criminals that law enforcing agencies have the commitment and spirit to foil their nefarious designs. Major Adeel is not the only officer who laid down his life while fighting valiantly and inflicting severe blows to terrorist networks as a number of officers, jawans and personnel of police force as well as intelligence agencies showed similar resolve and offered the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of the motherland. It is known to all that the outlawed terror outfits are trained, equipped and financed both by India and Afghanistan as part of their plans to destabilize Pakistan. It is not a coincidence that terror activities and attacks have increased significantly in the aftermath of May War with India and a clash with Afghanistan. As the two countries could not match the professionalism and bravery of our defence forces in formal wars, they have now joined hands to weaken Pakistan in every conceivable way. They are killing innocent people, attacking schools and mosques and carry out suicide bombings in bazaars and markets. As the enemy is using all tactics to harm Pakistan, the situation demands a full scale operation to neutralize terrorists and their handlers. However, the Pakistan Army is carrying out only intelligence based operations to minimize collateral damage. It is understandable that no stranger, outsider or even local inhabitant can hide itself and carry out suspicious activities without the knowledge and direct/indirect support of the local population. This amounts to tacit approval of killing of innocent people and destruction of properties and businesses of the people. It is the responsibility of every patriotic Pakistani to lend fullest possible cooperation to personnel of law enforcing agencies so that they could foil designs of the enemy. It is also shocking that instead of openly supporting the heroes of the war on terror, some politicians and political parties are trying to portray the counter-terrorism operations in a negative light, which is one of the factors that the law enforcing agencies are not getting the required local support against terrorists and hard core criminals. The instance of the Baloch girl shows how the terrorist organizations are using modern technology to brainwash youth. Terrorists exploited digital platforms to target the victim, adding her to a WhatsApp group where they subjected her to intense psychological manipulation and radicalization. During debriefing, the girl explained that hateful content repeatedly appeared on her social media feeds, gradually influencing her beliefs. The handler used her father’s death to gain her trust, added her to a pro-BLA WhatsApp group and sent her deceptive stories about female bombers. The CTD Sindh surely deserves credit for the successful operation that prevented a major tragedy in Karachi. The enemy can be confronted effectively if all relevant agencies demonstrate the same level of vigilance and people also extend necessary cooperation in taking the war on terror to a logical conclusion at the earliest.
