Daily Times

The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Daesh have massacred over 150 political activists in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the past few days, breaking a lull in terrorist attacks in the country.

A Pakistani militant leader argues that the armed groups are executing plans during the election campaign which they had in fact planed earlier. “They (armed groups) have collected their force for the elections,” he told Daily Time on Sunday. He quickly added that the militants would strike at soft targets and will take advantage of lack of security.

Recent terrorist attacks have claimed the lives of two political leaders – Haroon Bilour and Siraj Raisani. Security officials at a recent high level meeting in Peshawar feared threats to more leaders and candidates in the coming days.

Daily Times has learnt that security officials shared a list of leaders who were specifically under threat, at a recently held meeting in Peshawar. The people reportedly on the list include: PTI Chairman Imran Khan, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, QWP Aftab Khan Sherpao, JUI-F’s Akram Khan Durrani, ANP’s Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, former MNA Mohmand Bilalur Rehman, former MNA Bajaur Shahabuddin, former provincial minister from Bannu Sher Azam Wazir, candidate of JUI from Bannu Malak Shereen Wazir, PTI’s Shah Muhammad Wazir, Adnan Wazir from Bannu, Habib Noor of Kurram Tribal District, Qasim Noor of Orakzai Tribal District, Gul Muhammad of Orakzai Tribal District, Jala Hussain of Orakzai Tribal District, Bacha Saleh from Upper Dir, PPP’s Muhammad Ali Shah Bacha from Malakand.

The July 13 meeting of civil, military and intelligence officials was told that threats to the leaders and candidates are mostly during the corner meetings and their movements.

According to intelligence reports, different teams of TTP and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar are present in the areas to execute their sabotage activities, especially in Peshawar District, South Waziristan and DI Khan, North Waziristan, Swabi, Orakzai District, Hazra-e-Noor near Nazari Baba check-post of Malakand Levy.

The meeting decided that security of the candidates/leaders should be enhanced immediately while involvement of their private guards with permit of carrying weapons of prohibited bores should also be availed.

The TTP-claimed suicide attack on ANP leader Haroon Bilour in Peshawar on July 11 and the deadly bombing on election gathering in Balochistan’s Mastung on July 13 have exposed weaknesses of all security and law enforcement agencies. The recent suicide attacks indicate the TTP still has some sort of system in the area to plan and carry out operations.

Daesh, which claimed the Mastung bombing, had been active in the area. The group was behind attack on then deputy chairman of Senate Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidri on May 12. Nearly 30 people were killed and a similar number were injured, including Haidri, in the attack.

Daesh is believed to have been operating in coordination with Lashkar-i-Jhangvi Al-Almi, which is blamed for a series of attacks on Shias in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan.

TTP has tried to dispel the widespread impression among the terror-hit Pashtoons when the group’s spokesman issued a statement to claim the assassination of ANP’s Haroon Bilour. “We do not have any animosity with the Pashtoon nation,” TTP spokesman Muhammad Khorasani had said in a statement. However, Pashtoons will never accept such clarifications as they are still under attack by the terrorists.

Published in Daily Times, July 16^th 2018.