Punjab Law Minister Sanaullah says anti-terror operations will be launched by the Punjab Police, Elite Force and CTD; army, Rangers will be called in if needed
A day after the military said it was launching a crackdown against terrorists in Punjab, Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday said the Punjab government was conducting the operation in the province and it was not being led by the Rangers and Pakistan Army.
The provincial law minister said the operation launched in the province is a “national operation”.
Giving details on the modalities of the operation, Sanaullah said action will be taken jointly by all law enforcing agencies.
“Some kacha areas have been identified where operations will be launched by police, elite force and the counter-terrorism department, and if need be Rangers and Army will be called in.”
Trying to play down speculation on differences between the government and the military, the minister said:
“Some elements which are trying to drive a wedge in our joint efforts will fail. This operation will continue with the same passion and soon the entire nation will stand victorious.”
POLITICAL GOVERNMENT, ARMY IN A RACE TO SHOW MORE ARRESTS AFTER PARK ATTACK:
The political government, it appears, is in a race with the army and Rangers to appear more active on the anti-terror operations since the Sunday’s deadly attack which left over 70 people including 29 children dead.
A statement from the army said Rangers and intelligence agencies had rounded-up 713 suspected terrorists in the last 24 hours in operations conducted in Lahore, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Multan and various areas of South Punjab. The statement also appeared to contradict Rana Sanaullah’s position that the operations would be led by the police and the CTD.
“In the past 24 hours, police has conducted 56 operations in the province, CTD has undertaken 16 operations, while intelligence agencies with the help of local police conducted 88 operations,” he said.
Sana emphasised that all law enforcement agencies, be it police, CTD, ISI or Rangers, are operating together to achieve their targets.
He said a total of 5,221 people had been rounded up during the operations, of which 5,005 were released after data verification.
SANA DOESN’T BELIEVE THERE ARE ORGANISED NETWORKS OF TERRORISTS IN PUNJAB:
He said over 15,000 seminaries had been geotagged and dispelled the notion that no-go areas exist in Punjab. “The impression that no-go areas exist in Punjab is wrong,” he said.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore on Tuesday along with the Inspector General of Police Punjab, Rana Sanaullah said a Joint Investigation Team has been formed to investigate Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park blast.
He said there is no organised network of the terrorists in the province. He also denied the existence of any no-go area or hideout of the terrorists in the province.
He rejected the notion that terrorists have safe havens in Punjab, saying civil-military agencies have been carrying out operation across the province under the continuing National Action Plan.
“There is no no-go area in the Punjab. There are some people who are bent on giving an impression that there are terror sanctuaries in the province.”
He added, “We have geo-tagged all madrasas in the province and the provincial government knows how many students are currently studying in those madrassas.”
There are around 1,550 people on the fourth schedule, and nearly 1,000 were arrested, he said.
‘NO JOINT OPS’, COAS SAYS:
On the contrary, COAS General Raheel Sharif made it clear that the operations will not be “joint actions” as conducted in the past along with the police and provincial intelligence agencies.
The overnight operations, which the army chief is personally monitoring, were conducted by army units, paramilitary Rangers, the Inter Services Intelligence and Military Intelligence personnel.