By Agha Iqrar Haroon
Islamabad, Pakistan: A bloody sectarian clash that took place in upper Kurram lasted over 10 days costing 46 deaths and 96 injured persons and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government kept away from the clash and did not take any administrative action to stop tribes from killing each other by using military grade weapons against each other.
Maintaining law and order is a provincial subject, however, instead of taking provincial subjects as a priority, the KP government is more interested in trespassing into federal subjects such as foreign affairs and has virtually left the province at the mercy of terrorists and radical forces.
The year 2024 had been a bloody year for this area as another round of clashes broke out over a property dispute in July, leaving 38 dead and 158 injured in the same district
Intense attacks in areas of Balishkhel, Sadda, Khar Kallay, Peewar, and Maqbal continued for 10 days and the main Parachinar Highway and other roads in the area were closed. The ongoing violence in Kurram highlights the deep-rooted sectarian tensions among tribes and sometimes this tautness got support from terrorists as well. This time a land dispute was converted into sectarian violence that underscores the fragile peace in regions.
Kurram district has a history of bloody confrontations that have claimed hundreds of lives over the years and terrorist outfits such as TTP have been using sectarian divide to get harbors as they got active support of one of the sects that had been active in Afghan Jihad in since the 1980s. The Kurram district, formerly a semi-autonomous area had been a launching pad of terrorists in the last three decades against the state of Pakistan. A major conflict that began in 2007 continued for years before being resolved with the help of a jirga, (a council of tribal elders), in 2011. This was the same era when TTP was formed and started its activities against the Pakistan Army. The year 2024 had been a bloody year for this area as another round of clashes broke out over a property dispute in July, leaving 38 dead and 158 injured in the same district.
Out of a new wave of terrorism, so far 337 personnel and civilians have been martyred while 616 have been injured in various attacks by outlawed terror outfits across the KP in 2024
The overall security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has become alarming this year and the provincial government is not taking responsibility for the situation because this government invited TTP terrorists back to Pakistan from Afghanistan through a deal with the Afghan Taliban. PTI government announced a presidential pardon for top terrorists who were convicted and got death sentences from courts of law. The local people of Swat, Parachinar, Peshawar, and other districts hold former prime minister Imran Khan and former DG ISI who also served as Corp Commander Peshawar responsible for whatever killings are going on in the province. They claim that the Imran-Faiz duo replanted terrorism in Pakistan by using terrorists for their personal, political, and economic gains.
In the new wave of terrorism, so far 337 state personnel and civilians have been martyred while 616 have been injured in various attacks by outlawed terror outfits across the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in 2024 (figures are official and compiled by the provincial police).
Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), confirmed that this year alone, 103 police personnel have been martyred while 154 have been injured. Similarly, 103 civilians have also been martyred, and 159 people have been injured in various attacks.
According to another report prepared by a law enforcement agency, Dera Ismail Khan, the hometown of Chief Minister Amin Ali Gandapur has seen the highest number of police casualties with 63 personnel martyred followed by Bannu with 58, North Waziristan with 50, South Waziristan with 38, Bajaur with 29, Khyber with 22, Peshawar with 18, Kurram with 16, Mardan and Malakand with 11 each, Kohat with 10, Dir with 8, Hazara with 1, and Mohmand with 2 personnel martyred.
The report further reveals that 49 Frontier Corps (FC) personnel have been martyred this year while 124 have been injured.
The report also highlights that terrorists have targeted and martyred four politicians in Bajaur and North Waziristan while two were injured. In Dera Ismail Khan, 25 police personnel have been martyred while 23 have been injured, and in Bannu, 23 police personnel have been martyred with 20 injured. Moreover, there has been a surge in extortion incidents across the province including in Peshawar with 98 cases registered so far. The report reveals that a total of 98 extortion cases have been reported so far, with 242 suspects involved, of whom 99 have been arrested. The report indicates that the highest number of extortion cases, 50, were reported in Peshawar followed by 11 cases in the Khyber District and 6 cases in Dera Ismail Khan. The report further shows that in Dera Ismail Khan, 41 suspects, in Upper Dir, 27, in Khyber, 26, in Mardan, 16, and in Kohat, 12 suspects have been named in extortion cases. The police officials mentioned that many people do not report extortion calls, leading to several cases going unreported.
According to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s CTD statistics, there were 806 incidents of terrorism in 2023 with 1,404 people losing their lives. In the seven former tribal districts merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 342 incidents of terrorism were recorded while 464 incidents were recorded in other districts. There were 243 attacks on the police and 563 attacks on public gatherings and other security personnel. In those incidents, 74 police personnel were martyred, 401 were injured, 51 military personnel were martyred, and 144 civilians also lost their lives. Dera Ismail Khan topped the list with 132 incidents of terrorism in 2023.
According to the CTD, most of the individuals involved in the attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been Afghans. These terrorists and suicide bombers were fully trained in Afghanistan before being sent to Pakistan for terrorist activities.
A senior police official believes the Police are losing morale in its fight against terrorists because the Chief Minister shows no interest in security issues of the province and is always found busy with his political issues and spends much of his time in Islamabad
The CTD investigations reveal that the masterminds behind major attacks are Afghans who plan the operations from Afghanistan, hampering progress in investigations. It’s worth noting that there has been an increase in operations against terrorists in 2023. Last year, more than 1,000 cases were registered, resulting in the arrest of over 700 terrorists. More than 250 terrorists were killed during the CTD operations.
In August 2024 alone, 11 police stations in Peshawar were targeted with four attacks on police stations and mobile teams on Warsak Road in just one week
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, most terrorist attacks carried out throughout the province have targeted the police. The police stations in the suburban areas of Peshawar have been particularly targeted. In August 2024 alone, 11 police stations in Peshawar were targeted with four attacks on police stations and mobile teams on Warsak Road in just one week.
The provincial government claims that it is working to enhance the capacity of the police, especially the Counter-Terrorism Department. In the current fiscal year’s budget, the government has allocated Rs 140 billion to the police. Between 2019 and 2023, the provincial government also set bounties for the capture of terrorists, allocating Rs 3.31 billion for this purpose. It was claimed that 2,251 terrorists were present in 28 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
A senior police official on the condition of anonymity told DND News Agency that the Police are losing morale in its fight against terrorists because the Chief Minister shows no interest in security issues of the province and is always found busy with his political issues and spends much of his time in Islamabad.
