PESHAWAR: Declaring the ongoing military operation against militants in North Waziristan Agency a futile exercise, newly-elected Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl provincial chief Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan on Friday warned the offensive would cause further destabilisation and lawlessness in the country.

Gul Naseeb told a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club that his party had always opposed the use of force for peace in tribal regions and instead advocated dialogue.

He said military operations had aggravated issues instead of resolving them.

“Mass exodus from tribal areas is itself a big problem. The entire world is a witness to the misery of displaced persons,” he said.

The JUI-F leader said military operations hadn’t yielded positive results in the past and that the previous Pakistan People’s Party-led government opted to use force for restoration of peace in the country but it miserably failed.

Gul Naseeb says army actions aggravate issues instead of resolving them

“Under the current circumstances, the launch of military operation is not a step of the wise people,” he said.

Gul Naseeb said the PML-N-led federal government through an all parties conference and resolutions of parliament had secured the nation’s mandate for bringing peace in the country by holding talks with the Taliban and even the peace process was favoured by other stakeholders and armed forces but even then military operation had been launched in North Waziristan.

He said it was unfortunate that the federal government didn’t take political parties, especially its party, partner in the ruling coalition, into confidence on the launch of the North Waziristan offensive.

The JUI-F leader criticised the federal government over ‘failure’ to arrange food and shelter for displaced tribesmen, who, he said, desperately needed food, tents and other relief goods.

He said most IDPs had preferred to live with relatives instead of waiting for the official support exposing the government’s poor management of the human crisis.

Gul Naseeb said it was the prime responsibility of the federal and provincial governments to provide adequate facilities to displaced families but unfortunately, they didn’t make any contingency plan to cope with the mass displacement before ordering military action in North Waziristan.

He also criticised the Punjab and Sindh governments for banning entry of IDPs into their areas and said it’s time that all provinces care for the distressed population under the testing times.

The JUI-F leader declared the one-year performance of the PTI-led government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a big letdown and said the PTI government had failed to fulfil pre-election promises of providing relief to people against inflation and lawlessness.

He said lawlessness, especially killings and cases of kidnapping for ransom and extortion, were on the rise in the province.

“Throughout the province, the people feel very insecure,” he said.

Gul Naseeb warned if the provincial government failed to deliver, JUI-F along with other opposition parties would agitate against it.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2014