Devil Soul
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2010
- Messages
- 22,931
- Reaction score
- 45
- Country
- Location
Military wants purging Punjab of powerful terror facilitators
August 22, 2016
Jawad R Awan
inShare
LAHORE - Security agencies of the military want to tighten the noose around the ‘influential facilitators’ of terrorism in Punjab and start the work on this from southern part of the province, security officials told The Nation yesterday.
A special combing operation focusing ‘influential facilitators’ not only in southern Punjab but also in central and northern parts of the province is needed to cut the head of the ‘serpent’ and counter one of the key reasons of terrorism, they said.
Ghulam Rasool Mazari alias Chotu revealed some of his key facilitators and organised crime linkages with banned outfits during his custody with security agencies of the military.
Chotu was hunted down in Rojhan-Rajanpur riverine area in a military-led operation in April this year.
Gangs like that of Chotu’s extend help to the banned outfits to seek their support in return to run the operations of their cross-border criminal enterprises.
The agencies of the military desire the task should be carried out by their civilian counterparts, and in case of any hindrance or political hiccups, they would take up the task to knock down the major facilitators of terror directly or indirectly – be they like the crime lords like Chotu or banned outfits.
Cutting down the strong linkages and support base of organised crime and banned outfits is a ‘must’ to eliminate the sanctuaries of terrorism, said the security officials.
The military security agencies have already asked their civilian counterparts to focus on southern Punjab borders with other three provinces.
Following recent intelligence reports, southern Punjab border with Balochistan should be given priority keeping in view strong possibilities of banned outfits’ terror activities and their possible slipping into Punjab, the security officials said.
In a latest intelligence input, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) of Harbiyar Murri has planned to strike power transmission lines, gas lines and other infrastructure of the government.
A wanted commander of the BLA, Baggi alias Huassan has planned to carryout terrorist activity against Wind Power Project at TA Rajanpur, Mazari.
In a secret report, an intelligence agency of the military has also warned the Punjab government of the resurgence of organised criminal gangs in the Rojhan area of Rajanpur district.
The report said that new criminal gangs, allegedly with the connivance of local police, are establishing their foothold in that area and gathering light and heavy weapons to become unchallengeable like Chhotu.
Special search and comb operations had been launched in Punjab, dividing the province into sensitive and highly sensitive zones, on the directions of the COAS and the prime minister for aggressive and accelerated counter-terror actions.
The new anti-terror initiative came against the backdrop of the deadly terror attack on hospital in Quetta that killed more than 70 people.
According to counter-terror operatives of key intelligence agencies, sleeper cells of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, who managed to evade the radar of the security agencies and keep on moving, still have their support pockets in southern Punjab and can carry out terror operations here.
Jhangvi-gang has its strong roots in Bahawalpur district, besides its footprints in Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan, Leyyah and Rahim Yar Khan.
The footprints of sleeper units of al-Qaeda and TTP splinters like Jammat-ul-Ahrar have been found in Faisalabad, Okara and Lahore districts in central Punjab. Their trails have also been found in northern Punjab areas of Mianwali, Attock, Sargodha and Chakwal.
The proofs of presence of these deadly terror outfits despite countrywide search and comb (S&C), search and destroy (S&D), and search and strike (S&S) operations means they certainly have powerful facilitators here.
Against the backdrop of COAS directions for aggressive and accelerated countrywide search and comb operations, the military agencies want to hunt down these ‘influential facilitators’.
Keeping in view the political compulsions and smooth sailing of the governance, the military agencies have rolled the dice to their civilian counterparts to catch the powerful troublemakers.
However, failure on their part civilian agencies would leave no other choice for them but strike down these elements themselves, said the security officials.
Published in The Nation newspaper on 22-Aug-2016
August 22, 2016
Jawad R Awan
inShare
LAHORE - Security agencies of the military want to tighten the noose around the ‘influential facilitators’ of terrorism in Punjab and start the work on this from southern part of the province, security officials told The Nation yesterday.
A special combing operation focusing ‘influential facilitators’ not only in southern Punjab but also in central and northern parts of the province is needed to cut the head of the ‘serpent’ and counter one of the key reasons of terrorism, they said.
Ghulam Rasool Mazari alias Chotu revealed some of his key facilitators and organised crime linkages with banned outfits during his custody with security agencies of the military.
Chotu was hunted down in Rojhan-Rajanpur riverine area in a military-led operation in April this year.
Gangs like that of Chotu’s extend help to the banned outfits to seek their support in return to run the operations of their cross-border criminal enterprises.
The agencies of the military desire the task should be carried out by their civilian counterparts, and in case of any hindrance or political hiccups, they would take up the task to knock down the major facilitators of terror directly or indirectly – be they like the crime lords like Chotu or banned outfits.
Cutting down the strong linkages and support base of organised crime and banned outfits is a ‘must’ to eliminate the sanctuaries of terrorism, said the security officials.
The military security agencies have already asked their civilian counterparts to focus on southern Punjab borders with other three provinces.
Following recent intelligence reports, southern Punjab border with Balochistan should be given priority keeping in view strong possibilities of banned outfits’ terror activities and their possible slipping into Punjab, the security officials said.
In a latest intelligence input, Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) of Harbiyar Murri has planned to strike power transmission lines, gas lines and other infrastructure of the government.
A wanted commander of the BLA, Baggi alias Huassan has planned to carryout terrorist activity against Wind Power Project at TA Rajanpur, Mazari.
In a secret report, an intelligence agency of the military has also warned the Punjab government of the resurgence of organised criminal gangs in the Rojhan area of Rajanpur district.
The report said that new criminal gangs, allegedly with the connivance of local police, are establishing their foothold in that area and gathering light and heavy weapons to become unchallengeable like Chhotu.
Special search and comb operations had been launched in Punjab, dividing the province into sensitive and highly sensitive zones, on the directions of the COAS and the prime minister for aggressive and accelerated counter-terror actions.
The new anti-terror initiative came against the backdrop of the deadly terror attack on hospital in Quetta that killed more than 70 people.
According to counter-terror operatives of key intelligence agencies, sleeper cells of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, who managed to evade the radar of the security agencies and keep on moving, still have their support pockets in southern Punjab and can carry out terror operations here.
Jhangvi-gang has its strong roots in Bahawalpur district, besides its footprints in Muzaffargarh, Dera Ghazi Khan, Leyyah and Rahim Yar Khan.
The footprints of sleeper units of al-Qaeda and TTP splinters like Jammat-ul-Ahrar have been found in Faisalabad, Okara and Lahore districts in central Punjab. Their trails have also been found in northern Punjab areas of Mianwali, Attock, Sargodha and Chakwal.
The proofs of presence of these deadly terror outfits despite countrywide search and comb (S&C), search and destroy (S&D), and search and strike (S&S) operations means they certainly have powerful facilitators here.
Against the backdrop of COAS directions for aggressive and accelerated countrywide search and comb operations, the military agencies want to hunt down these ‘influential facilitators’.
Keeping in view the political compulsions and smooth sailing of the governance, the military agencies have rolled the dice to their civilian counterparts to catch the powerful troublemakers.
However, failure on their part civilian agencies would leave no other choice for them but strike down these elements themselves, said the security officials.
Published in The Nation newspaper on 22-Aug-2016
