Questions of security
The terrorists launched an audacious attack on Badaber PAF base camp to assert that they are alive and kicking. It goes to the credit of the air base guards supported by the Quick Response Force to stop the terrorists from destroying the PAF’s physical assets. A young captain died while fighting the terrorists while several others were injured. The terrorists however managed to kill 16 servicemen inside the base mosque and injured 13.
The attack raises disquieting questions. One had hoped that after the attacks on Mehran naval base and Kamra air base fool proof security measures would have been put in place at all military installations. The way terrorists managed to enter Badaber base is disquieting. In case the attackers had inside support, this would give birth to questions about the efficiency of the military agencies.
Badaber air base borders Khyber Agency. After the months long operation in the Agency the nation was told that the terrorists’ back had been broken and their remnants had been forced to take shelter in Afghanistan and that henceforth they would not be able to launch attacks in and around Peshawar. The attack raises questions about the extent of the success of the operation in Khyber.
It appears that despite remarkable successes achieved by the military against the terrorists, much more needs to be done over the coming months and years. What is needed on the part of the military leadership is to focus on securing the strategic assets. An air force base is supposed to be a well guarded defence installation. With terrorists playing havoc inside it, the general public is bound to be worried about the safety of soft civilian targets like schools, palygrounds, mosques and cinema houses. The military leadership has to fully focus on eliminating terrorism and extremism from the country. It should avoid undertaking responsibilities that do not come strictly under its purview.