All terrorists, including Haqqanis, to be tackled: DG ISPR

 

RAWALPINDI: Terming the Operation Zarb-e-Azb as war for the survival of Pakistan, the Pakistan Army on Thursday pledged to tackle all terrorists, including the Haqqani Network.
Briefing the media here, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa said 327 hardcore terrorists had been killed while 45 hideouts of terrorists were destroyed in the North Waziristan Agency during the ongoing operation launched on June 15. He said 19 terrorists surrendered before the security personnel. He said 10 soldiers laid down their lives while seven were injured in the line of duty.

Major General Bajwa said North Waziristan had become an abode of terrorists. He said due to the sudden operation, the terrorists were entrapped in North Waziristan and would not be given a chance to escape.

He said all the allegations of Afghan government against the Pakistan Army were baseless. “The operation in North Waziristan was being conducted by the Pakistan Army and it was not assisted by the US or anyone else.”

About the internally displaced persons (IDPs), he said that so far 456,292 people, comprising 36,804 families, had been registered and majority of themwere shifted to their relatives in Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan and Lakki Marwat. He said only a few hundred persons opted to stay in the camps set up for the IDPs.

Giving details, Asim Saleem Bajwa said from January 29 to June 8, some 195 persons had lost their lives in 20 terrorist incidents. He reiterated that North Waziristan had become a stronghold of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and a hub of terrorist activities. “In this backdrop, it was decided to launch an operation aimed at restoring the writ of the government.”

He said the army troops, FC Khyber Pakhtunkhwa troops, Khassadar, Levies, intelligence agencies and Pakistan Air Force were deployed to flush out the terrorists from the area.Major General Bajwa said 50 army personnel, along with 20 NDMA officials, had been deployed for the registration of all IDPs. He said six ration distribution points had been established in Bannu, DI Khan and Tank for provision of food packets and medicines to the IDPs. He said every family was given Rs15,000 besides one month ration as announced by the army. “Of the enlisted IDPs, 221,000 were administered polio drops.”

The DG ISPR said Nadra mobile and Smart Card vans were made available to check the identity of incoming IDPs at the registration centres. About the relief collection points, he said 32 such points had been set up in different cities. To a question, he pointed out that 400 Afghan families had crossed over to Afghanistan after the start of the ongoing operation.

He said the whole nation had to play its role to support the armed forces in rooting out terrorism from the country. He also urged the media to create an awareness among the people to wipe out any misperception regarding the operation.

To a query, the DG ISPR said the Afghan government had been requested to take action against those terrorists who could cross over to the Afghan territory to avoid operation. He said that Pakistan had raised voice against the drone attacks as Pakistan armed forces were fully capable of defeating the terrorists. He said joint control rooms had been set up (UAN 1135) in different cities where people could share information about any suspicious person or activity.

Ashrafuddin Pirzada adds from Landikotal: Four militants and three Khassadar force personnel were killed in a clash after about two dozen gunmen attacked the Hawaldari checkpost in the Surkamar area of the Jamrud Tehsil in Khyber Agency on Thursday, local and official sources said.

The sources said at least 12 gunmen, equipped with automatic weapons, stormed the Hawaldari checkpost located on the main Pak-Afghan Highway at around 1:50am during the night.Local sources said the militants besieged the checkpost and opened fire on the soldiers manning it. The lightly armed Khassadar force personnel returned the fire, triggering a gunbattle.

“I heard sounds of firing from different sides when the attack was launched on the checkpost,” said a local tribesman. He added that the firing stopped after a few minutes but it started again when a contingent of the paramilitary Frontier Corps reached the spot to support the besieged Khassadar force personnel.

The security forces, the official sources said, repulsed the attack and killed four attackers. However, the rest of the militants managed to escape.Three Khassadar officials identified as Naib Line Officer Shaukat Khan Afridi, who was recently promoted, and Sepoy Shamshad Afridi and Sepoy Baseer Khan were killed in the clash.

According to an ISPR statement, four paramilitary officials, including Captain Umar, were injured in the attack.The other injured soldiers were identified as Sepoys Umara Khan, Noor Hussain and Abdur Rauf.

Assistant Political Agent Jamrud Roshan Wazir condemned the attack and praised the bravery of the Khassadar force personnel.The funeral prayers for the slain Khassadars were offered in the presence of a large number of people. Roshan Wazir and other officials also attended the funeral.

DG ISI’s non-appearance angers court

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday expressed its annoyance over the non-appearance of Director General (DG) Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in a case pertaining to a missing person, Muhammad Arif.

The IHC’s Justice Riaz Ahmad Khan disposed of the petition seeking the recovery of Muhammad Arif after the additional attorney general informed the court that the matter had been referred to the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances.

The IHC bench, however, expressed its displeasure over the ISI’s attitude towards the court.The same IHC bench on the last date of hearing on March 24 had directed the DG ISI to appear before the court in person. The DG ISI, however, submitted an affidavit intimating the court that Muhammad Arif was not in the ISI’s custody.

The court, while expressing its annoyance over the spy agency that was seeking six-week adjournment into the matter, observed, “It was not our desire to summon the DG ISI but the conduct of the dealing official was tantamount to making amockery of the court. A person files a petition for the recovery of his relative and the dealing official, instead of submitting a report, suggests to the court for adjourning the proceedings for six weeks. It was an insult to the judiciary.”

Colonel Fayyaz, Deputy Director Legal of the ISI, tendered an apology before the court in response to the court’s observations.Muhammad Arif, a former activist of Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), was running a printing press and private schools in Rawalpindi. Parveen Bibi, the wife of Muhammad Arif, a resident of Peshawar Road, Rawalpindi, registered an FIR and later filed a petition for the recovery of her husband in February this year.

The petitioner had told the court that on December 17, 2013 her husband along with the General Secretary of Pakistan Railways, Mazdoor Union, Ishtiaq Ahmed Aasi, Dr Azizul Hassan and Hafiz Abdul Rauf was going to Khushab when all the four were allegedly picked up by the spy agency.

An FIR was registered in the Mitha Tiwana police of district Khushab. After the four persons had gone missing on December 17, two weeks later, two of them, Ishtiaq Aasi and Dr Azizul Hassan, returned to their homes while Hafiz Abdul Rauf and Muhammad Arif are still missing.

An additional attorney general, however, informed the court that an application for the recovery of Muhammad Arif had been filed with the missing person commission, which was the relevant forum.

The legal counsel for the petitioner, Zafarul Hassan Joya, argued before the court that the commission for the recovery of missing persons would take years to decide the case of his client. He requested the court to pass directions to the commission for an expeditious disposal of the case.

Justice Khan remarked that the commission was being headed by a former judge of the Supreme Court, therefore, instead of passing directions he could request the commission for an early disposal of the matter.

IHC summons DG ISI in missing person’s case

 

ISLAMABAD: Justice Riaz Ahmad Khan of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) here on Monday summoned Director General (DG) of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) directing him to appear before the court in the matter of a missing person, Muhammad Arif.
Parveen Bibi, the wife of Muhammad Arif, a resident of Peshawar Road, Rawalpindi, had filed a petition with the court.The petitioner told the court that last month her husband, accompanied by three others, was going to condole the death of a friend with his bereaved family when all the four were allegedly picked up by the ISI officials.

The petitioner said that all the four were picked up from Khushab while the agency released two, keeping Arif and another person in their custody. The two released men later told their relatives that they were picked up by the ISI.

Citing Ministry of Interior and DG ISI as respondents, Perveen Bibi in February this year filed a habeas corpus petition for the recovery of her missing husband.On the first hearing of the petition, the same IHC bench had issued notices to the respondents and directed them to submit their reply.

It was during last week, when the IHC bench had directed the spy agency to trace the whereabouts of the missing person and intimate the court with directions to the DG ISI for deputing a responsible official who would apprise the court of the progress in this matter.

Taking up the matter here Monday, Justice Riaz Ahmad Khan was informed by a standing counsel, Raja Khalid, that the Interior Ministry was seeking six weeks time for submitting a report regarding the whereabouts of the missing, Arif. The IHC bench however dismissed the contention and observed that the matter was related to the liberty of a citizen.

As the ISI had not deputed an official in accordance with the IHC directives, IHC bench directed the DG ISI to appear in person on next date of hearing.

Separately in another matter, an IHC bench vacated a stay order against a Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) permitting the employees of other provinces to serve in the federal secretariat. The officers of the Secretariat Group had petitioned against the SRO contending that the induction of officers from other provinces would affect their seniority. However, after hearing the arguments, the court rejected the petition and restored the SRO issued by the federal government.

Interior Minister seeks report from DG NCMC on Islamabad courts attack

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Monday sought report from Director General National Crisis Management Cell (NCMC) on terror attack in district courts here.
In a statement, the Interior Minister strongly condemned the terrorist attack in the federal capital.
He expressed sympathies with the families of those who lost their lives in the tragic incident.