Joint IB-Police operations make KP almost terror-free

ISLAMABAD: When Imran Khan accused the Intelligence Bureau of doling out funds to bribe pro-government journalists he didn’t have the slightest idea that IB’s resources were being diverted to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa for making it a terrorism-free province.
However, the reality dawned on him during a presentation of the KP Police showing the unprecedented number of militants arrested in collaboration with IB and without firing a bullet except in two cases, background discussions with different officials and analysis of data revealed.
Not only in KP, IB has been instrumental in helping the police in Sindh, Punjab and Baluchistan in tracking down terrorists, kidnappers, target-killers and extortionists. Being the frontline province in the war against terror KP had suffered more attacks than any other province.
While the police are dismantling the network of terrorists within the province in collaboration with IB, the army-led operation Zarb-e-Azb has virtually blocked the entry of terrorists from the tribal belt.
Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of KP police is leading the counter-terrorism operations at the provincial level despite meager resources, under the guidance of DIG Salahuddin Mehsud, a police officer from Waziristan who lost his two school-going sons in a terrorist attack when an explosive-laden vehicle hit his car.
While IB is the major partner in KP police operations, ISI, MI and army have also extended full-fledged cooperation, said a well-placed official privy to details. We have conducted some operations with the help of army, said a key official; our 90% operations were carried out in collaboration with IB.
“The working relationship with other agencies is equally excellent. None has ever disappointed us,” said a CTD official. IG KP Nasir Durrani who has set new examples of people-friendly policing in KP agreed. “The a pex committee has solved many of our problems. We enjoy full support of the army, ISI and MI. As far IB, it is our natural partner and is helping us by all means. Even apex committee has appreciated its role,” he said.
The eventual outcome of these collaborative exercises speaks louder than words. Around 170 terrorism-related cases have been traced out and 300 militants arrested. Included among them are high-profile cases like suicide attack on ANP government’s senior minister, Bashir Bilour, suicide bombing in F-8 Katchehry (Islamabad), suicide blast at Wahga Border and blasts in Peshawar.
In the first six-month of this year alone, the militants involved in 60 terrorism and kidnapping cases were traced including those involved in previous cases like attack on NATO containers in 2009 and suicide attack on a Moharram procession in Hangu in 2006.
The cases against the accused were prepared in such a professional manner that only seven of the 300 accused could secure bail from the courts, said the official sources.Terror suspects in the past used to be acquitted from the court due to lack of evidence, as the police, agencies and prosecution department were not working in tandem.
Interestingly, the operations were carried out on precise intelligence and with such preparation that the suspects were arrested without letting them resort to firing.“Not a single bullet was fired except in two cases,” an official involved in the operations said. One case related to the kidnapping and another to a militant network.
The ‘kidnapping for ransom’ cases have come down to almost zero level in recent months, according to a CTD official. Only two such incidents have occurred in Peshawar valley. There is a significant drop in extortion cases too. A year ago, around 70-80 extortion cases were reported each month. They have been reduced to 4-5 now.
From January to May this year, as many as 229 cases were traced dating back to previous years, 58 have been challenged, 161 are under investigation and four were cancelled. Targeted operations have been intensified in recent months as 297 such operations were conducted from June to August resulting in the arrest of 220 militants that included 19 jet-black terrorists whose cases will be referred to the military courts.