Daily Times

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has accepted all demands of the Bannu Aman Jirga in a meeting held earlier this week, sources said on Wednesday.

The jirga’s demands will be presented before the apex committee meeting expected to be held tomorrow, wherein the terms of reference (ToRs) for the constitution of a commission to probe into the Bannu incident will be discussed as well, the sources said.

The forthcoming session of the apex committee will be attended by the KP chief secretary, additional secretary home, Corps Commander Peshawar, KP Inspector General (IG), and other senior officers. The people familiar with the meeting also said the jirga sought to dismantle armed groups operating in the province; empower police and ensure their patrolling at night; allow CTD to conduct search operations or take action against terrorists instead of security forces; and present missing persons before courts.

It was learnt that CM Gandapur responded to queries of Bannu jirga members during the meeting held late Monday. He said that the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) cleared the air about Operation Azm-e-Istehkam (Resolve for Stability) – a new counterterrorism drive being launched in the aftermath of a surge in terrorist attacks. The chief minister told the jirga members that the military’s media wing made it clear that Azm-e-Istehkam was “not an operation but a strategy” to root out terrorism and extremism, they added.

It is noteworthy to mention here that several political parties including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), the Awami National Party (ANP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and others had expressed reservations over the new operation, demanding the authorities to take parliament into confidence.

“Azm-e-Istehkam is a comprehensive and integrated counter-terrorism campaign, not a military operation per se as it is being presented,” the ISPR Director-General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said while responding to reservations during a press conference in Rawalpindi a day ago. While detailing the scope of the new counterterrorism drive, Gandapur reportedly told the jirga members that the KP police and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) would carry out search operations while they would take assistance from the security forces as per the need.

He added that the provincial police force would take action against armed individuals. Subsequently, patrolling duties would be performed by the provincial police which will be increased. The KP CM said that the government was strengthening the police and the CTD in Bannu by opening recruitment and handing over additional vehicles, as per the insiders. In the same meeting, the sources said CM Gandapur assured the Bannu Aman Jirga that Jumma Khan Road will be reopened for movement soon.

Separately, Police in Bannu have commenced a major crackdown on armed groups in the area, conducting raids and making multiple arrests.

Following directives from the Chief Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur and demands from the Bannu Peace Committee, the police launched the operation across the city. Initial reports indicate that over a dozen armed individuals have been arrested, with authorities seizing weapons and a non-custom paid vehicle. The operation, spearheaded by the District Police, aims to dismantle the strongholds of these armed groups.

As police actions intensified, the local populace took to the streets, chanting in support of the law enforcement efforts. The crackdown marks a significant move towards restoring peace and order in Bannu, with continued raids expected in the coming days.