DG ISPR, Major General Babar Iftikhar said that nation’s support to the country’s armed forces was imperative to win the war against terrorism. According to the ISPR DG, ongoing Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad has completed its four years yesterday, on February 22, 2021. The aim of the operation was to dismantle and exterminate terrorist sleeper cells across the country with a broader domain and implications. Major General Babar said the timing of the Operation was significant as terrorists had faced a crushing defeat in the tribal areas and were resorted to per meate into all walks of life from religion to business to create chaos and anarchy in the country through hostile activities. The topmost Spokesman of Pakistan’s armed Forces briefly highlighted the achievements gained by the LEAs through Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad across the country over last four years. He also provided an account of huge sacrifices paid by our valiant officers and soldiers during these IBOs, surely nation will remember them forever. The operation Radd-ul-Fasaad was initiated on 22 February 2017, based on the doctrine to consolidate the Pakistan’s victory against terrorism achieved by the Country’s Security Forces through Operation Zarb-e-Azb. At time, the remnants of the terrorists had sorted to merged themselves in the public with the help of their sympathizers. Apparently, Pakistan’s Security Forces overcome the peril of terrorism but in fact the nature of threat has been changed from visible to invisible. Therefore, after undertaking the command, COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa, envisaged his vision of Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad, while changing the active physical military operation in FATA and other border areas to an Intelligence Based Operation (IBO), by expanding its magnitude across the Country. Actually, Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad is very critical operation aimed at detection of terrorist sleeper cells out of the public, uncovering the whole terrorist’s network, apprehension followed by their disposal through the court of law. In fact, after initiation of Afghan Jihad, a large segment of our society was transformed from a peaceful tolerant community into a rigid and nontolerant groups divided on sectarian and ethnic grounds having different ideologies. Common men were confused and helpless about the situation. After tragic incident of Army Public School (APS) Peshawar, the political leadership of Country agreed upon at one-point agenda to eradicate the menace of terrorism from the soil of the Country.
The whole Pakistani nation came up to support the defense forces of the country to defeat the terrorism.
The top civilian and military leadership sit together and identified the avenues of our social life abetted breeding of terrorism in the society ranging from funding of terrorism, radicalization of society particularly young generation, loopholes in country’s educational, banking, judicial and law enforcement systems, immigration, border control and other administrative issues at national and local level, which were contributing in damaging the social and religious fabric of our society. A 20 points agenda namely National Action Plan (NAP) was formulated, which has been implement by the Central and provincial governments during past years.
Besides, IBOs across the country, operation Radd-ul-Fasaad was also aimed at strengthening security measures at Pak-Afghan and Pak-Iran border, which provided easy routes to terrorists due to difficult terrains and lack of resources. Pakistan Army had constructed fence, military post, and forts on Pak-Afghan border, up to 84% work has been completed so far, whereas construction work on Pak-Iran border is under progress. Pakistan Army is the first military in the world, who successfully defeated the menace of terrorism and all this happened by active support of the people of Pakistan to their military.
