Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, the leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), also rejected the operation.
Pakistan does not need a military operation, it needs political stability. Hafiz Naeemur Rahman
“This operation cannot take place without discussions,” Gandapur told media outside Adiala Jail
Peace, economic, political stability can only come through a government formed by popular opinion
LAHORE + KARACHI ( WEB NEWS )
Controversy grew on Monday over a new anti-terrorism operation announced by the federal government as the chief minister of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said the campaign could not be approved without a discussion with stakeholders.
Pakistan’s top national security forum on Saturday announced the Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, or Resolve for Stability, campaign after a meeting of the Central Apex Committee on the National Action Plan (NAP) that was attended by senior military leaders and top government officials from all provinces, including PTI-backed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.
However, the PTI-backed opposition has rejected the operation, saying it was not discussed in parliament.
“This operation cannot take place without discussions,” Gandapur told media outside Adiala Jail where PTI founder Imran Khan has been incarcerated since last year.
“There is no clarity in this operation. What is the plan? We will obviously engage in talks when the Inter-Service Public Relations issues an official plan detailing where and how the operation will be carried out and when the plan sketch comes to light.”
Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, the leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), also rejected the operation.
“They announced Operation Azm-e-Istehkam but this is an Operation Adm-e-Istekham (Absence of resolve) that will make Pakistan more weak,” Rehman said.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks in recent months, many of them claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which pledges allegiance to, and gets its name from, the Afghan Taliban, but is not directly a part of the group that now rules Afghanistan. Its stated aim is to impose Islamic religious law in Pakistan, as the Taliban have done in Afghanistan.
Islamabad blames the recent uptick in attacks on Afghanistan, saying TTP leaders have taken refuge there and run camps to train militants to launch attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul says rising violence in Pakistan is a domestic issue for Islamabad and it does not allow militants to operate on its territory.
The announcement of Azm-e-Istehkam has also come on the heels of a top Chinese official raising concerns that Pakistan’s security challenges were undermining investor confidence.
Amir Jamaat-e-Islami Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has said that Pakistan needs political stability and not military operations. Peace, economic and political stability can only come through a government formed by the opinion of the people. Establishing peace, eliminating terrorism and countering external interference is the most important need of the hour. Restoring the environment and confidence for foreign investment, protecting investors from China and friendly countries and working on development projects is a shared responsibility of the entire nation. The people of Pakistan, especially the tribal people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, cannot afford a military operation. Favoritism seeks to address intolerance. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced the decision to stabilize Pakistan in the meeting of the National Apex Committee, but it is surprising that the Parliament has been completely ignored and there has been no consultation with the national, political and democratic leadership. went Hafiz Naeemur Rahman said that the history of the past is clear that such military operations have proved unsuccessful, due to which the good name of the institutions themselves has been tarnished. In the operations during the era of General Musharraf, there were mass martyrdoms of people including army men and the country had to face a huge economic loss. As a result of these operations, the gap between the people and the army continued to grow. He clarified that the operation will not be able to achieve its objectives without national consensus. Amir Jamaat said that Jamaat-e-Islami believes that the need for specific action instead of operations can be agreed upon. In order to stop terrorism, it is necessary to make the intelligence, police and judicial system active and effective, because even after the operation, all the matters have to be handled by the civil institutions, so the civil institutions which have this task should be strengthened. He said that the region has come under the grip of terrorism for the sake of American interests. There is a need for Pakistan to restore peace in the region through dialogue with its friendly countries.