PESHAWAR: Opposition to a military effort to eliminate militancy is bipartisan.
On Friday, top civil and military leaders pledged to renew the National Action Plan (NAP) within 15 days to defeat Afghan insurgents.
The National Security Committee (NSC) meeting, which the government said followed a January militant attack on Peshawar’s police headquarters that killed 86 people, predominantly police personnel, reached the choices.
However, political groups, including federal government partners, voiced worries regarding a military offensive against terrorists. With most stating that those who brought them back, must brought to justice first.
The NDM, a federal government supporter, said the government had lost public trust.
Moreover, They’ve lost public trust. “People don’t believe them even if they launch 100 military operations against militants,” NDM chairman MNA Mohsin Dawar told.
“Only cropping won’t work,” he continued, and the militants’ leadership should be removed.
While, Mr. Dawar questioned the NAP’s exclusion of militant negotiations. He stated the previous government started conversations and this government matured them.
Moreover, He advised a complete change in Afghan policy. He alleged that the government backs the TTP-affiliated Afghan Taliban.
Serious concerns among Pashtoons
The NDM stated the NSC meeting announcement caused “serious concern among Pashtuns” on Saturday.
The party stated the NSC meeting discussed initiating a military operation “without going after the root cause of terrorism, Afghan policy and Project Taliban,” which meant “going back to the sham operations from 2007 to 2014 and the policy of good Taliban and bad Taliban”.
It added Pakhtuns had suffered widespread death, damage, and displacement and “they are not going to put up with it now”.
The NSC meeting briefly acknowledged the previous government’s blunder in admitting TTP into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “This mistake killed hundreds of civilians and security personnel,” it stated.
“In a country where elected prime ministers can tried for far minor allegations. Why can’t the security tsars arraign before a tribunal for such a huge security breach? “Why not proper accountability of players responsible for security lapses?” it queried.
Aimal Wali Khan, Awami National Party (ANP) province president, said any operation against terrorists would face opposition until those who brought them back were brought to account.
Mr. Khan demanded that President Dr. Arif Alvi, former prime minister Imran Khan, former KP chief minister Mahmood Khan, former spymaster Faiz Hameed, and former KP cabinet member Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif be arrested and interrogated to identify the terrorists’ rehabilitation sites.
He said on Sunday that the facilitators who brought the Taliban back to Pakistan should be brought to account before any military offensive against militants.
Jamaat-i-Islami also protested a military operation in South Waziristan on Sunday.
