More attacks

According to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), 12 security personnel were martyred in a suicide blast in Bannu when terrorists attempted to attack a joint check post in the area on Tuesday. Six terrorists were also killed in the attack. In a separate incident and as per media reports, at least eight security personnel were martyred in gun battles with terrorists over the weekend in the Tirah valley while nine terrorists were also killed. This, however, has not yet been officially confirmed. These attacks come on the heels of the apex committee meeting of the National Action Plan (NAP). According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister Office, the top civil-military body gave its nod to a military operation in Balochistan against terrorist groups who are targeting innocent civilians and foreign nationals to scuttle Pakistan’s economic progress by creating insecurity at the behest of hostile external powers. All provincial chief ministers, Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir, cabinet members and senior government officials were among the attendees of the important huddle. The top civil-military body stressed on a “unified political voice and a cohesive national narrative” to effectively address these multifaceted challenges. It was emphasised that political support across party lines and complete national consensus are critical to reinvigorating the national counter terrorism campaign under the framework of Vision Azm-e-Istehkam. There is no denying that we need a political consensus on terrorism but unfortunately, we see that our political parties are busy fighting with each other. PTI’s ‘final call’ for a protest in Islamabad on November 24 and the government’s response that it will not allow the PTI to disrupt the capital shows how the focus of these parties is on political activities when it should be on terrorism.

Earlier this month, at least 27 people, including at least 16 security personnel, were martyred and 40 others were injured in a suicide explosion at Quetta’s railway station. Terrorist attacks are clearly on the rise in the country. According to two security reports released by Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) and Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), the third quarter of 2024 saw a sharp increase in fatalities, with a 90 per cent surge in violence and nearly 97 per cent of these fatalities were in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which makes it the highest percentage in a decade. However, it was rather unfortunate to witness that instead of focusing solely on the issue of rise in terrorism, the KP chief minister pivoted to a relatively less important issue, giving the discussion a political colour. The apex committee meeting also agreed upon revitalisation of National Counter-Terrorism Authority (Nacta) and the establishment of National and Provincial Intelligence Fusion and Threat Assessment Centre.

This should be every provincial government’s top priority – setting up these centres at the earliest. Specific emphasis was placed on strengthening collaboration between the federal and provincial governments and between relevant institutions and ministries to ensure seamless execution of the counter-terrorism campaign. But how will the KP government and the federal government strengthen their collaboration when one is busy fighting the other and threatening them. These attacks and the frequency with which they are being carried out and the rising number of our brave martyrs should be a wakeup call for all governments and political parties. It is time to rise above their political rivalries and join hands together for the eradication of terrorism from our soil. It is not easy and is indeed an uphill task but we have done it in the past and we can do it again. All we need is a real and meaningful political consensus and a strategy.