IGP says biggest challenge was to stop militants’ return to KP

PESHAWAR: While comparing the last five years of violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the year 2015 proved to be the most peaceful since 2011 in terms of terror attacks, human losses and damage to the property and infrastructure.

According to official statistics, the number of terrorism incidents, including improvised explosive devices (IEDs) blasts, suicide hits and missile attacks constantly increased from 370 in 2011 to 409 in 2012, 468 in 2013 and 502 in 2014.

Owing to the launching of operation Zarb-e-Azb and the crackdown against the militants’ hideouts and their facilitators by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police under the National Action Plan, the number of terrorism incidents decreased to 221 during 2015.

Also, the number of casualties in terrorism incidents remained the lowest during 2015 compared to the last five years.The number of persons, including the security personnel who embraced martyrdom was 157 in 2015 compared to 461 in 2014, 621 in 2013, 302 in 2012 and 689 in 2011.

Also, the number of injured was 307 in 2015 compared to 946 in 2014, 1,597 in 2013, 1,038 in 2012 and 1,430 in 2011.“The biggest challenge for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police in the military operation Zarb-e-Azb was that the militants who were dislodged and their bastions dismantled from the tribal areas by the Pakistan Army would not be allowed to enter the settled areas, especially urban centres to pursue their terrorist activities. In order to overcome this threat the KP Police devised an offensive-cum-defensive strategy throughout,” Inspector General of Police Nasir Khan Durrani told The News.

The statistics showed that the performance of the Counter-Terrorism Department remained on top during 2015.“During the last one year the CTD traced out 468 cases and arrested 693 militants,” Nasir Durrani pointed out.

The number of militants or their facilitators placed on the surveillance list under Schedule IV was increased to 5,406 during the last year.Superintendent of Police (SP) Mohammad Afzal, who serves at the Central Police Office, said three new counter-terrorism laws were proposed and passed by the legislature.

He explained that the aim was to deny bases to the militants in the settled areas. “The KP Restriction of Rented Building (Security) Act and the KP Hotels Restriction (Security) Act were enacted to achieve this objective,” he added.

“Under these two pieces of legislation, some 310,313 houses and residential buildings were searched and the owners and tenants of 10,556 dwellings were booked. Similarly, around 99,009 hotels and inns were checked out of which the managers of 1,997 were booked,” said Mohammad Afzal, who is serving as Personal Staff Officer (PSO) to the IGP.

Also, under the KP Sensitive and Vulnerable Establishment and Places (Security) Act the owners of 2,545 educational institutions, 296 bus terminals, 10 cinemas and 2,386 other vulnerable places were booked for not adopting the necessary security arrangements for their buildings and people. Many had complained that the police were shifting their responsibility to the public through the act.

In the offensive demeanor, the KP Police carried out 15,791 search and strike operations in which 48,099 suspects were detained while 15,560 arms, 565,928 ammunition and 1142 kilograms of explosives were recovered, said an official.

He added that the earlier statistics released by the CPO last month were incorrect.The official added that snap checking was carried out at 56,556 points during which 94,337 suspects were detained while 5,517 arms, 158,556 pieces of ammunition and 29 kilograms of explosives were recovered.

There were complaints that hundreds of innocent people were arrested and insulted and their houses raided when the search operations and other actions increased during the last year.

“While implementing the National Action Plan, the KP Police arrested 19,584 illegal Afghan immigrants, seized 898 hate materials from 194 miscreants, apprehended 1,758 persons for misuse of loudspeakers and booked 2,224 fake CNIC holders along with 904 attesters and 213 touts involved in granting the fake CNICs,” said Mohammad Afzal, the PSO to the IGP.

As per the statistics, there has been a decrease of 56 percent in the incidents of terrorism. The crime against person registered a decrease of 11 percent whereas the crime against property increased by 4 percent.

A decrease of 52 percent, 48 percent and 22 percent has been registered in kidnappings for ransom, extortions and murders, respectively in the last nine months.Three major terrorism incidents took place during the year 2015.

First, the militants attacked the Imamia mosque in Hayatabad town in Peshawar on February 13, killing 21 worshippers and injuring 50 others.The militants attacked the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) camp in Badaber near Peshawar on September 18 and killed 29 personnel of security forces, mostly PAF employees.

In the third incident, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entry-point of the offices of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) in Mardan when he was denied entry into the premises by the brave security guard Pervez Khan.It resulted in the death of 26 innocent civilians including the security guard.