DM Monitoring
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah has warned that civilians could face collateral damage during ongoing counterterrorism operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa if residents neither remove militants from populated areas nor move away to allow security forces to act.
Sanaullah said intelligence agencies had identified the number and locations of militants operating in sensitive parts of the province and that intelli-gence-based operations were already under way.
He said militant groups typically operated in formations of between three and 15 people and claimed that around 70% of such groups were located in sensitive areas.
According to Sanaullah, militants were living among local populations, making operations more difficult.
He said residents had been asked either to remove militants from populated areas or move aside so security forces could conduct operations.
If neither option was possible, he warned, the risk of civilian casualties would increase. Sanaullah also accused the former government of Sohail Afridi of discouraging residents from cooperating with law enforcement agencies.
He said the current governor-led setup in KP had made the elimination of terrorism its top priority and maintained that the objective could be achieved if the administration fully cooperated with security institutions.
Sanaullah said terrorism in the province could be eliminated within weeks or months, after which KP could return to normal conditions.
He also said the government expected PTI to cooperate in counterterrorism efforts.
Turning to political talks, Sanaullah said the government remained willing to meet National Assembly Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai at the Prime Minister House.
He said the government respected Achakzai but maintained that disagreement over the venue should not prevent political dialogue.
Emergency and governor’s rule were imposed in KP on October 11 under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution, with the federal government cit-ing a deterioration in law and order and a rise in terrorist attacks.
The federal government has also accused the former provincial administration of failing to show sufficient ownership and willingness to tackle mili-tancy, a position PTI has rejected.
