Tariq Rizwan
The recent announcement from DG ISPR on 20 May 2016 that our brave Army
soldiers have cleared the last militant stronghold “Shawal Valley” in North
Waziristan tribal region has provided a sigh of relief. It took three-months to
clear the valley. In February troops
began the final phase of the Zarb – e - Arb mission in North Waziristan,
bordering Afghanistan Birmal District, where militants had previously operated
with impunity. The incharge of the operation, Brigadier Shabbir Narejo told
reporters at a briefing, “We have cleared the Shawal valley, where militants
put up stiff resistance. Troops, gunship helicopters, tanks and jets were used
in the operation. There were up to 2,000 trained militants in the valley, but
we surprised them by launching the operation in the peak of winter in minus 12
degrees Celsius (10.4 Fahrenheit). Six Army soldiers lost lives in the fighting
whereas up to 120 militants were killed. Some militants had fled to
Afghanistan, but that troops had set up around 15 posts on the border to
intercept any movement in future”.
Operation Zarb - e - Azb was launched on 15 June 2014
in a bid to flush out nurseries and militant bases in Miranshah, Agency Head
Quarter of North Waziristan and its suburbs. It began one week after the
terrorist attack on Pakistan’s busiest airport. On 8 June 2014, 10 militants
from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and TTP attacked Jinnah International
Airport, Karachi, killing 28 people including security personnel and wounding
at least 18.
The crackdown was
intensified after the APS massacre in Peshawar, in which more than 150
people mostly children were murdered cold bloodedly in December 2014. It
has been a very successful operation as the graph of terrorist activities in
the country dropped to the lowest during last 6/7 years and militant network in
the area has been destroyed.
Pakistan has been a
victim of worst kind of terrorism after 9/11. The militants fled from US/ISAF
bombing in Afghanistan crossed over to Pakistan Tribal Belt where they
established their hideouts. Pakistan
suffered a lot being ally of America in the war and faced internal and external
challenges. Prominent militant groups that emerged and fought Pakistan LEAs are
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU),
Jundallah, Al-Qaeda, Haqqani Network , East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM),
and sectarian outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.
Earlier, the sitting regime announced peace
negotiations with the Taliban groups operating in Pakistan. The negotiations
were held through some religious scholars. The first session of talks between
committees appointed by the Pakistani Government and the Taliban was held on 26 March 2014 at
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad. The Taliban did not
name representatives from their ranks, instead nominated pro-Taliban religious
figures to present their views. The terrorists called for the
implementation of Islamic Sharia in Pakistan; the
Government of Pakistan demanded the cessation of hostilities, insisting that
talks be held within the framework of the Pakistani constitution. A month-long ceasefire was reached on 1 March
2014. Anyhow, negotiations collapsed after the execution of 23 Pakistani Frontier Corps soldiers
by the Taliban on 17 February 2014. The soldiers had been held by the
insurgents since 2010, and on 17 April 2014 the TTP formally ended the
ceasefire.
Army was in full
preparation and launched a three pronged strategy, isolating targeted militant
groups, obtaining support from the political parties and saving civilians from
the backlash of the operation. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said
that the nation stood by its military.
The combat troops
encircled militant bases in the towns of Mirali and Miranshah. Pakistani
officials said that the Afghan's National Security Forces (ANSF) was requested to seal the
border on their side so that militants do not escape. Air
Force, Navy artillery, tanks and ground troops remained engaged.
Zarb e Azb; being the
largest military operation in the Waziristan area has found support from
different entities from inside and outside of the country. The main purpose of
this operation was to bring peace to the northern areas of the country. Zarb e
Azb has got appreciation form leading journalists and analysts from Pakistan
and it has also been supported by all the major political parties of the
country. Only Jammat-e-Islami publically criticized the operation saying that
there should be no operation in North Waziristan and all the matters should be
resolved via peace talks with Taliban. Pakistan has also got international
support from many different countries such as America and China.
The recent
announcement of ISPR shows that after one and half year phenomenal successes
have been achieved in the operation. Last pockets close to Pak - Afghan Border
has been cleared. Eighteen months into Operation Zarb-e-Azb launched against
militants, ISPR claimed 3,400 militants have been killed so far. “3,400
terrorists killed while 837 hideouts from where they were carrying out their
terrorist acts, destroyed. About 837 hideouts
from where they were carrying out their terrorists activities have been
destroyed.
Apart, South
Waziristan, once a stronghold of the TTP where the extremists operated with
impunity has also been cleared in operation Rah-e-Nijat against Baitullah
Mehsud group, launched in 2009. The towns are now welcoming thousands of
displaced families back to their homes. From the helicopter, journalists could
see scores of homes with no roofs but appearing otherwise intact, their
interiors exposed to the elements, though it was unclear how many had been
removed by the military and how many had been damaged by the weather and
fighting. Traditionally roofs in South Waziristan are built of wood and iron
sheets to hold off heavy winter snows, but from the helicopter hundreds could
be seen with their wooden skeletons bared and interiors exposed.
Authorities have
rebuilt roads, constructed health facilities, schools and restored the village water
supply network system in the area. But the lack of shelter is still a serious
issue. The Mehsud inhibited north of South Waziristan is mostly mountainous and
building house is not an easy task. Government is providing up to 400,000
rupees ($4,000) to families for the rebuilding of their homes.
The writer is a freelance
journalist based in London
No comments:
Post a Comment