Pakistan

Suicide vests recovered from a dispensary

Suicide vests recovered from a dispensary

ISLAMABAD: As fears of an imminent march of the Taliban militants beyond the Malakand region caused shudders within and outside the country, Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Friday rejected the notion that the peace deal through Sufi Mohammad amounted to giving any ‘concession’ to the armed Islamists, and declared that not only the Army had the resolve to take on the militants but, according to him, ‘victory against terror and militancy will be achieved at all costs’.

Speaking at a meeting of top military commanders, including those directly dealing with militancy in Fata and the North-West Frontier Province, at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, the army chief acknowledged that doubts were being voiced about the intent and capability of the army to defeat the militants. 

But, he added, the army ‘never has and never will hesitate to sacrifice, whatever it may take, to ensure safety and well-being of the people and country’s territorial integrity’.

This is by far the most direct statement yet by Gen Kayani, or any other military or civilian official, about the prevailing situation and the manner in which it needs to be tackled. 

The statement came in the wake of reports from Swat’s adjoining district Buner, and later Shangla, of the Taliban march into the area, with clear signs the armed Islamists were trying to spread tentacles under the cover of a peace deal.

The army chief’s remarks coincide with reports emanating from the outskirts of Malakand division about movement of the Frontier Corps troops and even military battalions, leaving little doubt that the army is determined to launch yet another major operation, either to eliminate the militants or to at least push them out of Buner and districts other than Swat.

However, sources said, a military operation would be launched only after a clearance by the provincial and federal governments.  In his statement, the army chief was quite clear about ground realities. He condemned ‘pronouncements’ by outside powers that raised doubts about the future of Pakistan and declared that the militants would not be allowed to ‘dictate terms to the government or impose their way of life on the civil society of Pakistan’.
 
‘A country of 170 million resilient people under a democratic dispensation, strongly supported by the army, is capable of handling any crisis that it may confront,’ an ISPR press release quoted him as saying. 

He reassured the people that with their support the army was determined to root out the menace of terrorism.  He described the recent peace deal with Maulana Fazlullah’s Swat-based militants as an ‘operational pause’ that was meant to give the ‘reconciliatory forces’ a chance, but declared that it ‘must not be taken for a concession to militants’.

Observers here see the statement by the army chief as a clear message to militants to either lay down arms or be ready for another round of battle with the army, which this time probably would be more vigorous. 

The statement came at a time when the Swat Taliban have made advances to areas adjoining Swat, dashing hopes that the enforcement of Nizam-i-Adl would lead to restoration of peace.

Some sources in the security establishment say the army is insisting that since the militants have gone back on their pledge and have even tried to misuse the concessions given to them, nothing short of a public surrender can guarantee a lasting peace in Malakand division.  A similar message has been sent to the Buner Taliban through the Sufi Mohammed-led Tehrik-i-Nifaz-i-Shariat-i-Mohammadi.
 
Concerns were expressed at international level over the Swat peace deal and a possible advance of Taliban to the federal capital. President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and federal ministers have indicated in recent days that the Swat peace deal will be reversed and other options will be exercised if the accord did not yield positive results and the wave Talibanisation continued.

The COAS praised the army men for continuing to fight under challenging conditions, assuring that safety of the people and the country would be ensured at all costs.