PESHAWAR: A senior security official in the provincial capital has revealed that the militants are spending the money extorted from the people to carry out their activities in the country.

He told Dawn on condition of anonymity that the extortion demands totalled around Rs1.06 billion as indicated by the complaints lodged by the police.

The official said that the amount was much higher than reported because many people didn’t lodge complaints with the police fearing militant attacks and “silently” paid the extortion amount.

He revealed that the weapons, which had fallen into the militants’ hands after the August 2021 withdrawal of the US and other foreign troops from Afghanistan, were enough to fight a war for 15 years.

“Things worsened following the fall of Kabul, especially due to the heaps of modern weapons left behind by foreign troops. They’re enough for a 15-year-long insurgency,” he said.

The official said those weapons, which included sniper guns, thermal weapon sights, and other modern gadgets, were being used in attacks against law-enforcement agencies in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, official sources told Dawn that the militant attacks against law-enforcement agencies intensified after Oct 2022.

Says complaints lodged with police reveal Rs1.06bn extortion demands

They said that in Jan 2023 alone, a total of 80 attacks were carried out by militants with 62 targeting law-enforcement agencies and killing over 100 personnel.

The sources said that the militants had changed their strategy as they, unlike the past when they attacked civilians, were targeting LEAs compelling the police to be on the defensive mode, which would reduce street patrolling and ultimately increase the rate of street crimes.

On Friday, newly-appointed Inspector General of Police, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Akhtar Hayat Gandapur on Friday said he would ensure the reorganisation of the counter-terrorism department, the use of technology and the enhancement of the police’s capability to fight terrorism.

“There is no point in being penny-wise but pound-foolish. We are willing to pay Rs10 million to the heirs of the martyred police but don’t spend enough to save lives,” the police chief told reporters in a meeting at the Central Police Office here.

The IGP said the reorganisation of the CTD and Special Branch would be his topmost priority through resource utilisation and induction of more officers adding he had set up the police’s two new divisions and a sub-division to improve supervision and efficiency.

“If we take the average monthly figure and multiply it by 12, we are probably reaching the level of terrorism when it was at its peak in 2008. The law and order situation has deteriorated,” he said adding the semblance of peace and normalcy probably resulted in complacency.

The police chief said he was reaching out to the city district government to get resources for the Safe City Project and was thinking about ways to connect private and commercial CCTVs to the central monitoring system.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2023