The top military brass would discuss various security related issues today (Friday) at the Corps Commanders’ meeting with a focus on recent terrorist attacks on Pakistani border posts from Afghanistan-based militants and ISI Chief Lt General Zaheerul Islam’s recent visit to Washington.
The Corps Commanders’ meeting with Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani in the chair will be given detailed briefing by senior military officials about the recent spate of cross-border militant attacks in Dir, Chitral and Bajaur by Maulvi Fazlullah led-Taliban (Swat Taliban), who are based in Kunar province of Afghanistan. There is great anger and anguish over no let up to these attacks by the Taliban on Pakistani border posts in which several Pakistani soldiers have been killed so far, despite that Pakistan has raised this vital issue many a time with the Afghan authorities and NATO officials.
Pakistani authorities believe that since the Afghan army and NATO troops have their presence in Kunar and adjacent areas across the border, it was their responsibility to prevent these attacks and also eliminate terrorists’ hideouts there, but so far no action has been taken on the demands by Islamabad.
“This issue of cross-border attacks will be discussed in detail in Friday’s Corps Commanders’ meeting with focus on ways how to stop these assaults permanently so that the precious loss of Pakistani soldiers’ lives could be prevented,” said a security official, seeking anonymity. He said that it was also a repeated breach of Pakistan’ sovereignty by the miscreants and the army would protect the country’s sovereignty at all costs and for that all possible measures would be taken. The official said that another important issue on the agenda of army’s top brass meeting was that of the ISI director general’s visit to Washington early this month during which he held meetings with his CIA counterpart David Petraeus and other senior American officials. “The ISI chief will apprise the military leadership of his meetings in the US capital and their outcome and it would be in the light of that briefing that a strategy would be devised for the engagements with the United States on the military side in the days to come,” he said.
The US wants a full-fledged military operation by in North Waziristan against the Haqqani network, allegedly based there, but Pakistan is not for any immediate and all out offensive, keeping in view the constraints it is confronting in the face of overstretched security forces. According to diplomatic sources, the issue of North Waziristan operation figured up in discussions during the meeting in US between General Zaheer and the CIA director and the ISI chief conveyed the Pakistani stance to him over the contentious issue.
There should be another corps in this area to keep a security servillence. All of this across border attacks and terrorist activities can not be controlled by the few battalions or a brigade. Police assistance is hardly there if needed. So the military should organize a fresh corps in this area and just make new cantonment like anyother cantonment in the country. It needs a lot of money and resources, and the government should start looking into it so in the coming years this problem can be tackled in a better and successful way. Population and promlems have increased and corps size is still the same. This area needs one.
They should look into economic mismanagement by the civilian leadership; No gas no water, no electricity. With growing debt 10b$ / year to IMF
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