• Sanaullah reiterates offer of talks with groups who would abide by law
• TTP threatens PML-N and PPP for ‘waging war’ on banned outfit
• US backs Pakistan, hints at possibility of unilateral action against threats from Afghanistan

PESHAWAR / ISLAMABAD / WASHINGTON: In light of an uptick in the number of militant attacks across the country, the government — buoyed by international support — has decided to adopt “pre-emptive” measures alongside a conciliatory approach to eliminate terrorism.

This was announced by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah during a press conference in Islamabad, hours after the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced a campaign against two of the main political parties currently in government — the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

Separately, in a message of support following the threat, the US State Department indicated that President Joe Biden has made a commitment to take unilateral action — as it did in the case of Ayman al-Zawahiri — against threats from Afghanistan that “potentially presented a threat to the US, to our allies and friends”.

In Islamabad, the interior minister said the government would take preventive actions to foil terror plots and apprehend all those associated with militancy to stop terrorism. The state’s efforts against terrorism could not be publicised as it would compromise their success, he said. “But this should not be taken to mean that nothing is being done,” the minister was quoted by Dawn.com as saying.

“Tremendous efforts against terrorism were underway,” he added. The interior minister said a National Counter Terrorism Department (NCTD) would be established to achieve effective coordination between provincial anti-terrorism departments. The provincial counter-terrorism personnel would also be trained by the federal government to fight militants, he added.

The minister said the government was also making efforts to bring militants, who agree to lay down arms and accept the Constitution of Pakistan, to the table for negotiation. However, laying down of weapons was a precondition for talks, he reiterated. There was a need to deal with the situation in such a manner that the TTP threat and the number of terror incidents remained at a minimum level, the minister said.

The minister also clarified his statement on Afghanistan and said he never said he wanted to attack Kabul. But in case militants were targeting Pakistan from across the border, then Islamabad, under international law, “can and should engage” these miscreants. Mr Sanaullah said the National Security Committee meeting had concretely decided that talks about any concerns or issues would only be held with the Afghan government.

US backs Pakistan

Meanwhile, condemning the TTP threat to target political, religious and military personnel in Pakistan, Washington emphasized the need to work collective to eliminate all terrorist threats.

“We condemn any threat of violence from any group, but certainly a threat of violence like this from a terrorist group like the TTP,” US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said at a news briefing on Wednesday.

He also stressed the need to “not lose sight of the bigger picture” because “terrorism remains a scourge that has taken… so many Pakistani, Afghan and other innocent lives.”

Upholding the US resolve to help Pakistan fight terrorism, he said the US and Pakistan had a shared interest in ensuring that the Taliban lived up to their commitments and that terrorist groups like IS-K, TTP and Al Qaeda are no longer able to threaten regional security.

“We are committed to working with partners but President Biden also has made a commitment to act unilaterally if and when necessary, as we did just a few months ago with Ayman al Zawahiri, to take out threats that emerged in Afghanistan that potentially presented a threat to the United States, to our allies and friends,” he said.

TTP warning

In its latest warning, the militant outfit warned the top leadership of the ruling parties against “announcing a war against the outfit” to apparently please the United States.

“The incumbent government has been unfortunately bewitched by the Americans,” the statement claimed, particularly blaming Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for the government’s decision to wage war on the outlawed TTP.

“Under what logic has Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a war against TTP and plunged his party into a battle in order to please America,” the statement said and warned of attacks against the PPP and PML-N top leadership.

In its letter, the TTP warned the religio-political parties to stay away from action against the terror outfit. It said the banned outfit wanted “harmony” between the religious parties and the TTP.

This is not the first time the banned outfit has threatened to target politicians. In the lead-up to general elections in 2013, PPP, Awami National Party (ANP), and Muttahida Qaumi Movement faced lethal attacks at the hands of the banned TTP. Similarly, a number of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) leaders were killed in targeted attacks while its chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman survived multiple suicide attacks. In 2015, PML-N leaders in Gujranwala and Peshawar were also targeted by the banned outfit.

In response to the threat made by the TTP, Dawn.com quoted Mr Sanauallah saying that there was a “general threat” was present and the government was already taking the necessary precautions.

On the other hand, the PPP said it was not scared of the terror outfit. “There is no question that TTP’s threat will scare the PPP,” former senator Farhatullah Babar said. He said the PPP had rendered numerous sacrifices to fight terrorists but never compromised on its stance. “PPP will continue to raise its voice for the elimination of terrorism in the country,” he added.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2023