ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi on Thursday admitted that the release of jailed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants back in 2021 was a mistake.

During a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior held here with Senator Faisal Rehman in the chair, Mr Naqvi said the release of the banned outfit’s prisoners had been made with hopes for an improvement, but this did not happen.

He noted that the surge in terrorism cases in the country being witnessed today was because of the release of those TTP prisoners. The government had in November 2021 released over 100 TTP prisoners as a “goodwill gesture” to reciprocate the ceasefire announced by the outlawed group earlier that month.

The officials also clarified that the prisoners were not released in compliance with any demand made by the TTP, which is currently engaged in negotiations with the government.

Naqvi says no new operation is being launched

“The Taliban prisoners were released as a goodwill gesture,” Mr Naqvi said.

On November 8, 2021, the TTP announced in a statement that it had reached an agreement with thegovernment to cease hostilities for one month.

“The ceasefire agreement between the Pakistan government and the TTP will remain in effect for one month. It could be extended should the two sides agree,” the group said in a statement, adding that it would equally apply to both sides.

PPP Senator Shahadat Awan, during the Senate panel’s meeting, asked as to on whose orders those under judicial custody prisoners had been released.

He also sought to know the identity of the released TTP prisoners and the charges against them.

The interior minister promised to give a detailed briefing on the matter at a separate meeting.

The minister did not give a clear reply to Senator Irfan Siddiqui’s question about the status of 5000 TTP families reportedly brought to Pakistan for resettlement in the tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa (KP) during the PTI days in power.

Mr Siddiqui said the former prime minister on record talked about his plan. He said the 5000 families would mean somewhere around 50,000 individuals.

He had sought to know the exact number of TTP men brought for resettlement and the details as to how many of them had been sent back to Afghanistan.

‘No new operation’

In reply to another question by Senator Irfan Siddiqui about operation Azm-i-Istehkam, the interior minister claimed that no new operation was being launched and blamed the media for creating such an impression.

He said that six points of the National Action Plan (NAP) had not been implemented and the plan was to implement these.

“As such no new operation was being launched,” Mr Naqvi said. He also said there was no plan to carry out operation in some specific areas. The panel was also informed that Punjab and Sindh governments were carrying out joint operation against dacoits in katcha area.

The secretary of interior ministry, while briefing the committee on security of Chinese nationals in Pakistan, said helicopters were now being used for surveillance of Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams while bullet-proof veh­icles are being used to transport Chin­ese engineers working on the projects.

Senator Umar Farooq said that security of common citizens and not foreigners should be the government’s priority.

Mr Siddiqui, who also chairs the Senate’s standing committee on foreign affairs, took exception to these remarks, and said that these Chinese were neither tourists nor part-time visitors, adding that the Chinese were playing a key role in national security and economic developments.

He said they were being targeted under a conspiracy to strain Pakistan’s relations with China, and the responsibility to provide them fool-proof security must be fulfilled.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2024