Dubai: A wide-scale military offensive in North Waziristan, Pakistan’s restive tribal agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas may be launched in the next few weeks.
Though the media wing of the Pakistan Army, the Inter Services Public Relations has denied any knowledge of such an operation, Gulf News learnt from a credible source that the army top brass has already apprised the political administration of its plans to launch a major operation in October, probably post Eid Al Adha.
Reportedly, a parallel operation will also clean out militant remnants in Swat and adjoining northern areas. The game changer however will be the long awaited operation in North Waziristan, the hotbed of Afghan insurgents, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan’s key commanders that have sought refuge from military presence in neighbouring South Waziristan and other foreign fighters affiliated with Al Qaida and TTP. Long pressed by Washington and Kabul, the North Waziristan operation, if it comes about is not only going to affect the war in Afghanistan, it will also have a tremendous impact on Pakistan’s political and security establishment. The question is if and when Prime Minister Nawaz sharif gives the official go ahead to the army. But it has been learnt that the GHQ has laid out in very clear terms the necessity of launching the long delayed offensive to Islamabad. Many military officers on the ground also feel that extending the operations in North Waziristan- currently a no-go area where the army is more or less confined to the barracks in Miranshah — is critical for regaining ground lost to the militants, as discussed informally with Gulf News. North Waziristan has served as a refuge and base for the Afghan insurgents and any operation here will have to be supported by the Afghan and international forces across the border.
The Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf government in Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa may have taken a strong stand against the launch of any such offensive now, given its chief Imran Khan’s preference to dialogue over operations, but given the rapidly deteriorating security situation, principally in KP province and the erosion in support in PTI constituencies that have witnessed attacks by the militants, it may have no option but to cede ground to greater national interests. The recent attack on the church in Peshawar had led to a country-wide outcry over the government’s soft approach towards dealing with the militants. Public consensus seems to be consolidating for waging an offensive since the government’s conciliatory approach, which has not brought any improvement in security.
The army itself is cognisant of the danger these groups pose and the impact of their uncontrolled actions on the military and civilian morale. It was only last month that the army suffered a major blow when its senior commanding officer major General Sanaullah along with other officers was killed in a targeted IED attack in Upper Dir, an attack claimed by the TTP. It is imperative therefore that the remaining areas under militant control are regained and brought under state control.
Given the presence of the armed forces’ divisions already present in South Waziristan, Swat and other Fata agencies, it is not surprising that preparations for the operations may have already been quietly underway for some time.
Like the previous successful operations, public opinion at this time is likely to swing in favour of the new offensive. More important is the need to realise that many of these groups are exploiting the government’s ambivalent stand and offer to hold talks, thus making it imperative that the government takes a stock of the past many months and put a concrete plan in action where there is zero tolerance for terrorism.
