Support for illegal activities fuelling terrorism: ISPR

• Military spokesperson criticises PTI govt’s 2021 talks with TTP as ‘misguided’; insists May 9 trials send strong message against vandalism
• Denies role in deadly Nov 26 crackdown on PTI workers
• Says Kurram violence not terrorism, but a tribal dispute

ISLAMABAD: The military on Friday attributed the alarming surge in terrorist violence this year to the backing of illegal activities by politicians and glaring governance shortcomings.

“When you examine the illegal spectrum in the country closely, behind it you will see political backing everywhere, which, for its narrow-minded political and financial gain, is obstructing all the necessary steps that are required under the Revised National Action Plan, Azm-i-Istehkam, and other steps that are to be taken to break this illegal spectrum,” Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said at the year-end press conference.

The country has witnessed a disturbing resurgence of terrorism in recent years, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The surge in violence is largely attributed to the Afghan Taliban’s takeover of neighbouring Afghanistan in August 2021, which not only emboldened militant groups like Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan but also allowed them sanctuaries on Afghan soil. The other major contributors to this resurgence of violence are Baloch insurgents.

In 2024, Pakistan suffered a staggering 1,200 terrorist attacks, resulting in the loss of over 2,000 lives, including 383 military personnel, despite counterterrorism efforts. According to the military, 925 militants have been killed in counterterrorism operations, and 59,779 intelligence-based operations have been conducted in the past year alone. The persistence of terrorist violence, however, raises questions about the effectiveness of counter-terrorism strategies.

The ISPR spokesman warned that unless Pakistan’s political elite fully backs efforts to dismantle the illegal spectrum, valued at billions of rupees, and enacts necessary laws, takes strict action against criminal elements, and metes out punishments, terrorism and lawlessness will persist.

He also pointed to governance issues in the militancy-infested regions as another factor behind the intensification of the terrorism wave. “Terrorism will end when justice is established in those areas when there is education, health, administration, good governance, and uniformity in the education system and madrasas,” he maintained.

“We are filling these gaps in governance with the sacrifices of our martyrs on a daily basis,” the spokesman said.

While talking about the military-led counterterrorism operations, he said that they had not spared anyone, nor would they do so in future.

The spokesman also touched upon the facilitation and freedom of operation that terrorist groups enjoy in Afghanistan and regretted that though the matter has been raised with Taliban leadership on multiple occasions, both directly and through friendly countries, the problem persists.

Although he did not directly comment on reports about Pakistan conducting air strikes in Afghanistan’s Paktika province on what are being claimed as terrorist targets, he said that “if they continue to unjustly shed the blood of innocent civilians and law enforcers, should we sit and watch this spectacle?”

“If these blood-stained hands are strengthened and supported from across the border, then the status quo is no more acceptable,” he asserted.

He criticised the PTI government’s 2021 decision to engage in talks with the TTP in Afghanistan, facilitated by the Afghan Taliban. This misguided approach, he argued, has had severe consequences, allowing some TTP fighters to resettle and regroup, and ultimately putting law enforcement agencies in harm’s way. “Our soldiers are now paying the price of that wrong decision with their blood,” the general said.

No one at the press briefing reminded the general that even after PTI’s departure in 2022, the military kept advocating talks with TTP. In an in-camera parliamentary briefing on July 5, 2022, which was attended by the then army chief Gen Qamar Bajwa, the then ISI chief Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum, and the then Peshawar corps commander Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, parliamentarians were told that the reconciliation process with TTP was underway for ensuring the safety of the borders.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also attended that meeting. The only voices that opposed the talks on that occasion were Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Senator Mushahid Hussain, and Mohsin Dawar.

May 9 trials

The military spokesman said that the sentencing of 85 PTI activists for vandalism at military installations and monuments sends a clear message that such actions would not be tolerated.

“In the future also, if anyone is involved in such cases, he will be punished according to the Constitution and law,” he vowed.

The sentences were criticised by the international community — EU, UK and US, and human rights groups and activists. He said the criticism was because “there was no legal and moral justification for such acts and these could not be defended in any way, then propaganda was done on the process of military courts”.

Lt Gen Sharif said that the real culprits of May 9 were those who created the narrative against the military. The process will continue until the plotters and others linked to this incident are not brought to justice, he maintained while parrying a question about whether there was still a possibility of a military trial of PTI founder Imran Khan.

He also called for the conclusion of the trials of those May 9 accused, who are being tried by the anti-terrorism courts.

Nov 26 crackdown

The military spokesman refuted allegations of Army troops’ involvement in the violent crackdown on PTI workers in the federal capital on Nov 26, which reportedly resulted in multiple deaths of protesters.

Clashes between protesters and law enforcement agencies on Nov 26 and 27 occurred after the government invoked Article 245 of the Constitution, calling the Army into the capital to quell a PTI rally.

Though the clampdown on information has made it challenging to verify the number of casualties, reports suggest at least 12 people lost their lives, with dozens more injured during the violent confrontations.

The spokesman cited a detailed statement by the Ministry of Interior, emphasising that “the Pakistan Army did not come into direct contact with the violent mob in the entire incident”.

He insisted that the Army’s role was strictly confined to the Red Zone, which houses government buildings, diplomatic missions and critical installations.

He further claimed that security personnel deployed to handle the protests were unarmed, countering allegations of excessive force by law enforcement agencies. “The security enforcers that were deployed there were not given firearms,” he asserted.

The statement also accused PTI leaders and armed protesters of escalation. “The political leadership, its armed guards, and some of the protesters who were armed with weapons certainly opened fire,” he said.

He condemned the dissemination of what he described as “pre-packaged social media content and fake content”, which was aimed at creating “baseless accusations to distract from the senseless upheaval” and to fuel societal discord.

Kurram

The military spokesman emphasised the need for a civilian-led resolution to the escalating violence in Kurram district, asserting that the conflict is not rooted in terrorism but stems from a long-standing tribal land dispute.

The Kurram district has long been a hotspot of deadly clashes, primarily between Sunni and Shia tribes. At least 133 people were killed in November alone during intense armed confrontations. The latest episode of violence can be traced back to July when over 50 people were killed in clashes linked to disputed land ownership.

Tensions escalated last month when a convoy of Shia travellers was ambushed by gunmen, resulting in the deaths of 52 passengers, including women, children and security personnel escorting them. This incident triggered another wave of violence. A few days ago, a couple of Shia men were beheaded, after which countrywide protests began to demand government attention to the crisis.

The situation has left Parachinar, a Shia-majority town in upper Kurram, effectively under siege for months, with Sunni villagers in lower Kurram blocking access roads, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

The spokesman stressed that restoring peace required dialogue among local stakeholders. “People should be made to sit down and find a middle ground,” he said, underlining the necessity of a concerted effort by politicians to address the issue.

“The law enforcement agencies and the army will play whatever positive role they can in this. The problem has to be solved by the politicians. The army and the law enforcement agencies have to act on it,” he said.

He dismissed the notion that the violence was linked to terrorism, instead describing it as “a local tribal land dispute which is being complexed without reason”.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2024