Back not yet broken
The perception that upsurge in terrorism in the restive tribal region is in fact the last hiccup of the militants has to be taken with a pinch of salt. As many as seven people were killed in a firing incident on a passenger van in Makhizai area of lower Kurram on Thursday. The attack coming on the heels of the just-concluded army operation also brings into question the military authorities’ claim that the area has been cleared of the militants whose fighting had increased the incidents of sectarian killings, kidnapping, and extortion.
So far, there has been no claim for responsibility for the ambush but the local officials believed that the attack was launched by the armed gunmen of a sectarian outfit targeting the Shia community in the agency. Another such incident that coincided with the Eid celebrations took place in Quetta on Wednesday, where a suspected suicide bomber struck when hundreds of people were leaving an imambargah. The bombing claimed 10 lives. Again on Thursday night, five people were killed and around 22 injured in Lakki Marwat where a suicide bomber smashed an explosive-laden vehicle into a local police station.
The frequency with which terrorist attacks are taking place in the tribal agencies and elsewhere in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should be a cause of concern for the security forces which have been priding themselves on having dealt a severe blow to the elements carrying out subversive activities. The Corps Commander Peshawar’s recent claim that since 80 to 85 percent of Mohammad Agency had been cleared of militants the internally displaced people belonging to the area could safely return to their homes has yet to be put to the test.
Similar claims were earlier made about Swat where the situation remains far from stable months after the prolonged military operation had ended. The security establishment needs to understand that peace and tranquillity will remain elusive to the region until the civilian administration is taken on board and encouraged to play an effective role in the process.
