Joint Pak-Afghan operation sole remedy
A misplaced perception has grown up at places far removed from the simmering epicentre that terrorist attacks in the seven agencies of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) witnessed a steady decline. This is not borne out by the data recently released by the FATA Research Centre, an apolitical private think-tank established in 2009 in Islamabad, which focuses on the region, its problems and offers possible solutions to the policy makers. Despite the intense counter –terrorism operations conducted by the law-enforcement agencies, sneak terrorist attacks have actually increased in frequency and fatalities in the first quarter of 2017.
The period October-December 2016 experienced 69 incidents, while the total in January-March 2017 was 119, which included 57 terrorist attacks and 52 counter-terrorism operations. The number of casualties increased correspondingly from 180 to 491, comprising 281 deaths and 210 wounded, including civilians, security forces and Aman Lashkars. Khurram Agency suffered most casualties (212), followed by Khyber (119) and Mohmand (66). Pakistan’s deadly nemesis, Jamaat ul Ahrar, using IEDs, target killings, cross-border raids, ambushes and suicide bombings, was arch grave-digger. But the really perturbing developments are, the regrouping of militants driven out of FATA in Afghanistan’s border regions, where Kabul’s writ is absent, and ganging up of Mehsud Taliban-Jamaat ul Ahrar, which can greatly increase terrorist outreach.
Perpetually strained Pak-Afghan relations are the fillip and incentive for various terrorist outfits, enabling them to carry out deadly attacks in unison even at high security locations in the two countries. The federal cabinet on March 2, 2017, approved merger of FATA in KP and repeal of the scandalous Frontier Crimes Regulations, but it is a moot point whether under the present disturbed conditions, FATA will be ‘civilised’ or the entire KP will succumb to primitive tribalism. FATA sends 12 ‘representatives’ to the National Assembly and 8 to the Senate, based on the highest bidder. ‘The enemy of my enemy is not my friend’ should be the harmonious refrain in Islamabad and Kabul, or the situation will spiral out of control, US troops and one-sided military operations here notwithstanding.
