Calling for a global response against Islamic State (IS), DG ISPR Lt General Asim Bajwa said on Friday Pakistan had “zero tolerance” for the emerging militant group. “Not even a shadow of Daish will be allowed in Pakistan,” the DG ISPR said, adding the Pakistani society had rejected the IS, and there was no acceptance of the terror group in the country. Briefing reporters about army chief General Raheel Sharif’s visit to Washington, Bajwa said the COAS held discussions with US’ top civilian and military leaders on issues ranging from defense, military cooperation, regional security, as well as the long-running Kashmir dispute with India. The DG ISPR said the entire world had recognised Daish as a threat, which centered in the Middle East and also had elements in Afghanistan. Daish tried to raise its voice in Pakistan at a time when a crackdown against terrorists was already underway, and space for militants was shrinking, he added. Few days back unidentified assailants lobbed a hand grenade on the bureau office of Dunya News in Faisalabad, smashing windows and injuring three employees. They also left a pamphlet claiming that the attack was conducted by IS Khurasan and threatening rulers, security forces and media that they were in the crosshairs of the terrorist outfit. Irrespective of the claim’s genuineness or otherwise, the attack has already created a stir. Unless the perpetrators are arrested and punished according to the law, a sense of insecurity will continue to prevail. Equally worrisome is the targeted killing of four Rangers personnel in Karachi on Friday. During the last 11 months over 80 policemen have died in the city in targeted attacks. The Karachi operation was initiated in September 2013. Meanwhile claims have been made that the terrorists’ backbone had been broken. The way the well armed Rangers were killed and the terrorists safely disappeared indicates that the killers were no ordinary criminals. The terrorist networks are clandestine organisations. They are free to choose the target and the timing of the attack. Only an efficient and well-equipped intelligence department can break the terrorist networks. Pakistan is under attack from terrorist gangs since late 1980’s. One had hoped that by now the security agencies would have wrested the initiative from the terrorist Incidents like the one in Faisalabad and the other in Karachi indicate that the terrorists still remain ahead of the agencies.
pk.shafaqna.com
