ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif clarified that the planned counterterrorism campaign will not involve a new organized military offensive but will instead see an intensification of existing intelligence-based operations (IBOs), in response to strong opposition criticism yesterday.
The PM had announced on Monday night that the anti-terror campaign he announced earlier would not be kinetic large scale military operation, or mass displacements of local populations. This statement was followed by one giving further details on Monday night.
On Saturday, PM Sharif had announced “Azm-e-Istehkam (Resolve for Stability)”, a full-scale offensive to eliminate terrorism and extremism.
However, critics say this may have been influenced more by Chinese concerns about attacks against its citizens. Rather than any policy considerations, such as economic or political drivers. Since it was last implemented at 2013 parliamentary elections.
However; his decision faced stiff opposition thus resulting to Sharif withdrawing his previous stance. “Vision Azm-e-Istehkam’; is in doubt due to misunderstanding and speculation,” said the office of the prime minister’s cabinet briefings.
The goals of this operation are: “To finally rid this country of all terrorists’ remains. Establish deterrent energy against crime-terrorism nexus and violent fundamentalism,” president sharif added.
“Most of operations under ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’ shall take place in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Balochistan” – Pakistan’s two volatile provinces lying on the north-western border with Afghanistan.” This operation has some difference with previous ones because it starts with action against terrorists. The intention behind this operation is purely to fight back terrorism whose magnitude has lately risen dearly,” he said.
“The US-backed wars during Zia-ul-Haq and Musharraf rule were fought at our terms unlike. China and other nations today,” Asif told journalists after the official announcement.
According to him, no Pakistani was going to evacuate during this operation.
