by Nilesh Kunwar

Two years ago, widespread protests broke out in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [KP] province against the growing presence of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan [TTP] terrorists in Swat Valley. However, rather than addressing this grave security related concern being expressed by the public with the seriousness that it deserved, the Pakistan army inexplicably chose to downplay this serious development by stating “a misperception about the alleged presence of large number of proscribed organisation TTP’s armed members in Swat Valley has been created on social media," calling it “grossly exaggerated and misleading.”

This issue even came up in Pakistan's National Assembly and since the burgeoning presence of armed TTP terrorists in Swat Valley was so conspicuous, ISPR had no choice but to accept that "Presence of a small number of armed men on few mountain tops between Swat and Dir has been observed.” But it tried to soft-pedal this disturbing occurrence by adding that the armed TTP terrorists were “located far away from population." To further allay public fear, ISPR even claimed that "A close watch is being maintained on their limited presence and movement in mountains," but seeing the way things have since panned out, it’s amply evident that Rawalpindi has failed to deliver on this promise.

The prevailing situation then was that while locals in KP were demanding military action against TTP terrorists, both the government and Pakistan army refused to act. However, fast forward to the present and we find that the situation has reversed. While Government of Pakistan has announced its decision to launch ‘Operation Azm-e-Istehkam’ [Resolve for stability] to “integrate and synergise multiple lines of effort to combat the menaces of extremism and terrorism in a comprehensive and decisive manner,” there’s a public outcry in KP against military operations and the fact that some political parties have also joined-in would definitely shock the unversed.

Widespread sentiments opposing military operations in KP have so riled the Pakistan army’s top brass that this issue was discussed during the recently concluded Corps Commanders’ Conference chaired by Pakistan army chief Gen Syed Asif Munir. ISPR stated that the forum “noted with concern the unwarranted criticism by some quarters and deliberate misrepresentation of the vision [of Azm-e-Ishtehkham], only for furthering their vested interests.”

They also took notice of the “onslaught of politically motivated digital terrorism, unleashed by conspirators, duly abetted by their foreign cohorts against state institutions” [Emphasis added], and were “fully aware of all such machinations and stand united and committed in defeating the notorious designs of the enemies of Pakistan.”

Rawalpindi’s embarrassment is understandable. However its attempt to blame “vested interests” and “foreign cohorts” for the palpable anti-army sentiments is a puerile attempt to conceal hard facts. The people of KP aren’t not against military action against this terrorist group. Being the ones bearing the brunt of TTP violence, they desperately want this terrorist group to be uprooted from KP, but not through Pakistan army’s characteristic anti-terrorist strategy of laying the entire area to waste.

Having been through harrowing experiences of being displaced, their homes destroyed, innocents being killed in staged encounters as well as being subjected to enforced disappearances by the Pakistan army in previous operations, people of KP are against the army being given a free hand in KP. So, public resentment to military operations in KP is not because of either “vested interests” or conspirators abetted by “foreign cohorts” but the barbarity with which the Pakistan army conducts its anti-terrorist operations, and this is not an unsubstantiated allegation.

Basing its finding on voluntary revelations made by Pakistan human rights defenders and defense lawyers, the 2019 Human Rights Watch [HRW] report mentions that “During counter-terrorism operations, Pakistani security forces often are responsible for serious human rights violations including torture, enforced disappearances, detention without charge, and extrajudicial killings.” [Emphasis added]. The report also mentions that “Authorities do not allow independent monitoring of trials in military courts and many defendants are denied the right to a fair trial.”

While Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s clarification that during conduct of Azm-e-Istehkam, “no large scale military operation is being contemplated where displacement of population will be required,” is reassuring. However, his reasoning that this is because intensifying intelligence-based kinetic anti-terrorism operations are adequate “to decisively root out the nebulous and shadowy presence of remnants of terrorists” is clearly an understatement, because data on terrorist attacks presents an entirely different picture.

According to data collated by reputed Pakistani think tank Centre for Research and Security Studies [CRSS], the first quarter of this year saw a 17 percent surge in fatalities suffered by security force personnel and civilians when compared to those in the last quarter of 2023. Furthermore, with 245 terror related incidents resulting in a whopping 432 fatalities and 370 injuries in the very first quarter of 2024 itself, who would ever believe Islamabad’s claim that there are only “remnants of terrorists” in Pakistan?

Rawalpindi continues to accuse “vested interests and foreign cohorts” for fuelling terrorism inside Pakistan, conveniently overlooking the fact that it is the one responsible both for spawning and nurturing this scourge. And while it talks glibly about playing a stellar role in its war against terror, the unanswered question is why did the Pakistan army capitulate and enter into more than a dozen ‘peace agreements’ with various terrorist groups in the last two decades?

Isn’t it a fact that despite adequate early warning available by August 2022 through such obvious indications that even civilians correctly interpreted, the Pakistan army failed to take any proactive actions to prevent TTP from re-establishing its foothold in KP? Lastly, can Rawalpindi explain to the people of Pakistan the compulsion behind the unconditional release of more than 100 TTP terrorists convicted for killing both security force personnel as well as civilians?

Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan army chief Gen Syed Asif Munir may cite a host of reasons to justify avoiding a concerted military campaign against various terrorist groups. However, with the ongoing spate of terrorist strikes including the latest suicide attack in which terrorists managed to force their way into the heavily guarded Bannu Cantonment in KP and kill eight army personnel, it’s clear that by claiming that there are only “remnants of terrorists” in Pakistan, both Islamabad and Rawalpindi are just fooling their countrymen!

This piece is being published as it has been received – the article has not been edited/fact-checked by IDN