During an unfortunate incident on Friday, 14 soldiers got martyrdom when terrorists attacked two vehicles carrying security forces moving from Pasni to Ormara in Gwadar District. According to the Pakistan Army media wing, a sanitisation operation was being carried out in the area and perpetrators of this heinous act will be hunted down and brought to justice as the top priority. The ISPR categorically underscored that the security forces are determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the country and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve to wipe out this evil from our soil.
Pakistani nation and its elite security forces stand resolute against the giant of terrorism that witnessed a sharp upsurge in recent months after the defunct Tahreek-e-Taliban (TTP) resumed violence and bloodshed in the aftermath of the state refusal to meet its demands for a possible truce between the government and the banned outfit. Meanwhile, foreign-sponsored Baloch insurgency regained an uptick in recent years after the government launched multiple development and uplift projects in the poverty-ridden province under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which has been a prime target of global powers and Indian Intelligence throughout the past. According to a report of the Islamabad-based Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), the number of fatalities from terrorist attacks has increased by 19% in the current year as compared to 2022, while the two provinces bordering Afghanistan,i.e. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan suffered 92% of all casualties during this time. The report suggests that more than 700 Pakistanis lost their lives in the terrorist attacks including 386 security personnel during the first nine months of 2023, marking an eight-year high death toll in terrorism-related incidents.
The Security forces have stepped up their Counter Terrorism campaign in recent months by launching a countrywide intelligence-based targeted operation against the terrorist groups. A large number of miscreants have been killed and numerous others were arrested during the multiple operations. The continuous hot pursuit of terrorist groups by the LEAs has significantly damaged terror infrastructure in Erstwhile FATA and border-belt region Balochistan while terrorists are on the run and making a last resort to regain their foothold. According to the reports, several terrorist outfits including the TTP, Al-Qaeda and other splinter groups have concluded a deal to cooperate and coordinate each other against the Pakistani state. Meanwhile, Indian intelligence is continuously funding Baloch insurgents to specifically target the CEPC-related infrastructure, Chinese nationals working on CPEC and the LEAs to disrupt the pace of development and cause embarrassment for Islamabad and Beijing at the global level.
Historically, Pakistan has been a victim of foreign-sponsored terrorism and religious violence over the past decades, as the religious militant organizations and Baloch rebels have always enjoyed safe havens, essential funds and training from neighbouring countries throughout the past. New Delhi’s long-held support for terrorism and patronage of the Baloch separatist movement is an open secret to the world. At the time, the state of Pakistan was passing through a crucial period of its history and faced grave risks to its economic survival, national sovereignty, territorial integrity and ideological cohesion as the enemies of the country were making all-out efforts to breach our security, undermine national unity and collapse our nation economically. There is a dire need for the interim government to take the diplomatic front by persuading our Eastern as well as Western neighbours to abandon their support for Pakistani separatist and terrorist groups when the Security Forces are engaged in a kinetic Counter Terrorism campaign in the country. Meanwhile, the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP), and the introduction of extremism and terrorism-related legislation is of utmost importance to curb radicalization and religious violence in our society. So, the menaces of terrorism and extremism could be eradicated from Pakistani soil once and for all.
