Terror threat

Two militant attacks on Thursday served as a chilling reminder of the dangers faced in the war against militancy, particularly by law-enforcement officials. The first attack was a suicide bombing in Nowshera which was apparently targeting an FC vehicle. The attack injured 12 people, including six FC personnel. Then, five suicide bombers tried to storm a Frontier Corps compound in Quetta in an attack for which the TTP has claimed responsibility. All five suicide bombers were killed by security personnel before they could reach their target. It is only thanks to the bravery of the officials in both Nowshera and Quetta that mass casualties were averted. For all the talk about security failures, these attacks show that law-enforcement personnel are able to avert attacks through sheer courage and will. Militants have tens of thousands of potential targets around the country and providing foolproof security at each one is impossible. The response to these attacks, however, showed that given the opportunity our security personnel are more than capable of facing up to militants. The problem lies in the fact that groups like the TTP are still able to strike anywhere and at any time. Along with new threats like the Islamic State, the TTP has persevered through multiple military operations. It may not be as powerful as it once was, but the TTP is still a major threat to our security.

The main stumbling block in dealing with the TTP is the fact that after Operation Zarb-e-Azb, much of the group fled to Afghanistan. The Afghan government and American forces in the country have done little to target the group and its allies like the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar. Just last week, a Pakistani request to add Jamaat-ul-Ahrar leader Umer Khalid Khurasani to the UN Security Council sanction committee’s list was rejected by the US. There is some hope that the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity – an agreement reached by the two countries after months of negotiation – will lead to some action from the Afghan government. More likely, though, both countries will continue to accuse each other of harbouring and supporting militant groups. The attacks in Nowshera and Quetta show not just that Pakistan cannot be complacent about the militant threat but that the only way to overcome this threat is through cooperation with our neighbours.