ISLAMABAD: Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif said on Thursday that intelligence-based raids and combing operations were being intensified as the Zarb-i-Azb military operation enters its final phase.

The army chief was addre­ssing corps commanders, principal staff officers and formation commanders at the Formation Commanders’ Conference — a semi-annual event. The conference is the highest forum for the field commanders to discuss operational and training matters. The event coincided with the start of what looks to be the final six months of Gen Sharif’s tenure.

The army chief’s address was, therefore, being seen by political and military observers as an agenda-setting speech for the remaining part of his tenure in office during which he would be concluding his various undertakings.

He left no doubt that Zarb-i-Azb was being concluded — something which was also reflected in the ISPR press release that said: “Zarb-i-Azb is now successfully transiting into final phases”.

Although the military has not indicated when it is planning to conclude Zarb-i-Azb, but the general anticipation is that completion of Zarb-i-Azb would be announced ahead of the end of Gen Sharif’s tenure in November.

The army chief, according to a source, emphasised combing operations and intelligence-based operations (IBOs) for taking Zarb-i-Azb to its conclusion.

Both combing operations and IBOs are already taking place in different parts of the country. The combing operations for clearing different areas of sleeper terrorist cells have so far been carried out in a number of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts, including Mardan, Charsadda, Mansehra, and Kohistan.

A military source said it was encouraging to note that people were cooperating with the army in conducting the combing operations by sharing information about suspected groups and individuals.

Operations in Punjab, after the row over their authorisation by the civilian government, have been largely restricted to IBOs that had been taking place since the start of Zarb-i-Azb. But, lately a surge in IBOs in Punjab has been witnessed. Over the past month, there have been 134 IBOs in Punjab’s major cities, including Rahim Yar Khan, Gujranwala, Multan, and Lahore, according to a military source.

Meanwhile, of the 207 cases sent to military courts, it is said, 93 have been decided in which 77 convicts have been sentenced to death.

An overview of the progress made so far in the fight against terrorism was shared during the conference.

The other preference mentioned by Gen Sharif was the return of the displaced persons and their rehabilitation.

“Expressing satisfaction on the pace of return of TDPs, COAS paid tributes to valiant tribes for their unwavering support in fight against terrorism and emphasised on the quality and speed of rehabilitation and resettlement work in Fata for their dignified and timely return,” ISPR said in a statement on the conference.

Gen Sharif, while talking about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, referred to the conspiracies against the project by “external actors” and vowed to “pay any price” to turn this connectivity and infrastructure project into a reality.

There was also a discussion about border management with Afghanistan.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2016