Pakistani Government rejects military action against terrorism

In a recent press conference, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Interior, Tallal Chaudhry, dismissed the prospect of military intervention as a means to counter the recent surge in terrorist activities within the country. Instead, he asserted that the elimination of terrorism would be realised through the effective implementation of existing anti-terrorism frameworks. The Minister further elaborated that the Azm-i-Istehkam and the National Action Plan (NAP) would be implemented to eradicate terrorism from the country. These remarks were made in the aftermath of a security meeting convened in the wake of the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express attack. The Minister went on to state that security agencies issue alerts based on intelligence gathered during their operations and that local institutions are not investing sufficient financial resources to act on the information provided by the agencies. The Minister also expressed concern over the statistics of terrorism in the country, which is witnessing nine terror attacks every day. In the initial quarter of 2024 alone, 1,141 fatalities and injuries were recorded, with 1,127 of these casualties occurring in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Consequently, Minister Chaudhry has called for heightened commitment from these regions in countering terrorism.