Says around 70pc of terrorist formations are present in designated districts of K-P
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah. SCREENGRAB
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Friday warned of possible collateral damage during planned intelligence-based operations in designated districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa if residents failed to distance themselves from terrorists or drive them out of their localities.
Speaking on the private television programme Naya Pakistan, Sanaullah said terrorists entered Pakistan from Afghanistan and carried out attacks, alleging that training camps across the border operated with Indian funding and training, while reports also suggested Israeli involvement in such attacks.
“That is why Pakistan’s armed forces have closed the border with Afghanistan. You must also be aware that no trade is taking place through that route,” he said.
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Praising the security forces for their work, the PML-N leader said they knew the number of terrorists and their current locations.
He said terrorist groups comprised between three and 15 members, adding that around 70 per cent of these groups were present in the areas designated for the operations, for which a separate development committee had also been established.
According to Sanaullah, the terrorists were hiding among the local population and living alongside ordinary citizens rather than operating openly. He said law enforcement agencies were conducting intelligence-based operations in these areas.
The adviser warned that civilians could suffer collateral damage if residents did not remove terrorists from their communities or move away from the areas to allow security forces to carry out operations.
“The people have been told either to drive these elements out of their populated areas or, if they do not want to do so, to move aside themselves so that the operation can proceed. If neither of these options is possible, there is a risk of collateral damage,” he said.
Sanaullah said the armed forces could dismantle and neutralise the terrorist groups within three to five months and criticised inactive K-P Chief Minister Sohail Afridi for what he described as a lack of cooperation with law enforcement agencies in tackling terrorists and their facilitators.
He alleged that the provincial leadership had previously supported the terrorists and discouraged cooperation with security forces, telling them that operations against the militants would not be allowed.
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However, he said the situation had now changed, and a committee had been established under the chairmanship of a former governor. He expressed confidence that dismantling the terrorist networks in the coming months was an achievable objective.
Asked how future security operations would differ from previous intelligence-based operations (IBOs), given that 7,177 such operations had been conducted over the past six months, Sanaullah said the provincial government and civil administration would be responsible for holding areas after they had been cleared of terrorists.
He said the authorities would ensure that militants could not return to the cleared areas or establish a presence there again.
“Things were different earlier. Many areas were cleared three or four times, but the problem persisted because the responsibilities that should have been fulfilled by the provincial government and civil administration were not carried out. Their attitude was, in fact, the opposite,” he said.
Sanaullah said it would take months, rather than years, to rid the affected areas of terrorism and restore peace.
His remarks came a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a Rs160 billion development package for K-P following a meeting with the Area Development Council, comprising representatives of the tribal districts and tribal elders, at the Governor House in Peshawar.
The prime minister said he had directed the authorities to strengthen the Counter Terrorism Department and make it more effective. He also assured that the federal government would provide all necessary resources to eradicate terrorism.
