Dar calls for in-camera briefing on surge in terrorism

ISLAMABAD: Leader of the House in the Senate Ishaq Dar Friday called for an in-camera briefing on the surge in terrorism and related history, and asked if anyone would tell the nation why the policy was reversed in Kabul and hundreds of hardened terrorists forcibly got freed.

Senate former chairman Mian Raza Rabbani wanted the then political government of the PTI and the establishment to accept the responsibility of the deal on terrorists, the details of which are still unknown.

Taking part in the debate in the House on terrorism and Balochistan issues, initiated by the National Party Senator Tahir Bizenjo, Dar recalled that the nation knew only after watching the images captured by camera in Kabul on Pakistan’s responsible people, having reached there and holding negotiations.

“The matter did not end there, as hundreds of hardened terrorists were forced to be released under an understanding. What was that understanding-would anyone tell the nation-and a policy U-turn was taken on terrorism after the installation of Taliban government there,” he said.

He regretted that they were engaged, and afterwards terrorists were released from Pakistani jails, following which there had been a continuous increase in the acts of terrorism across the country and today no one was safe.

The PMLN senior leader also referred to the recent Mianwali incident and called for a realistic approach, and that the nation should without wasting a minute deal with the extremely sensitive challenge, which, he claimed, the past PMLN government had effectively dealt by starting Zarb-e-Azb and then Operation Raddul Fassad.

There was time, he pointed out, when the international community would believe that Pakistan might not be able to take on the terrorists, especially in the northern areas, and it was also said that even the military regime of General Musharraf could not take action against terrorists.

But in September 2013, he noted, this decision was taken and the operation was launched against the menace of terrorism.

He explained the then PMLN government moved forward with a well-defined programme to fix the economy, extremism and deal with electricity crisis.

Senator Dar said that the caretaker government should give an in-camera briefing on terrorism, if anyone says that stop and wait for February 8, for such things, one can’t wait, as every minute and every second counts.

He contended that the caretaker government should give in-camera briefing and share data of how the acts of terror dramatically fell from 2013 onwards to 2014, 15, 16 17, and till 2018 and after that the policy was changed and they (terrorists) were engaged.

Earlier, PPP Senator Raza Rabbani spoke at length on the subject and pointed out that the increase of direct attacks on the personnel and installations of the armed forces followed the return of illegal Afghans from Pakistan.