Daily Times

PARACHINAR: The angry residents of Parachinar ended their week-long demonstration on Friday after Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa convinced them that their grievances would be addressed.

According to a press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the COAS visited Parachinar and met tribal elders and families of those martyred in the recent terrorist attacks in the town, who were staging a sit-in in protest against what they called authorities’ apathy and failure to provide them with adequate security.

Announcing a series of steps to redress the grievances of the protestors, the COAS said that firing by FC troops while handling the mob situation post-blast is being inquired and those responsible shall not be spared. He said the FC commandant has already been changed. “Notwithstanding the irreparable loss, four martyrs and those injured in firing have separately been compensated by the FC,” he said.

The army chief said while there are clear evidences of hostile foreign hands in recent incidents, local facilitators and abettors have been apprehended who will be tried in the military courts.

He said additional army troops have been moved in Parachinar to enhance its security while Frontier Constabulary (FC) troops are being beefed up on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border to seal it effectively. Toori Razakars are also being dovetailed on check-posts, he added.

The COAS said a safe city project for Parachinar by installing CCTV cameras in line with the ones in Lahore and Islamabad will be undertaken. He said the fencing of border is already in progress. “More sensitive areas of Federally-Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) are being fenced in Phase 1 while the complete Pakistan-Afghanistan border including the portion falling in Balochistan will be fenced in Phase 2,” he said.

Gen Bajwa said Army Public School Parachinar is named after Maj Gulfam Shaheed and it will be upgraded to a cadet college in due course.

He said a trauma centre will be established in Parachinar by the army while the area’s civil hospital will be upgraded for better medical care by the civil administration.

He said the government has now announced compensation for Parachinar victims at par with other such victims elsewhere in the country. “All Pakistanis are equal,” he asserted.

Gen Bajwa said army fully supports mainstreaming of FATA and that its early implementation is essential for enduring peace and stability.

In his meeting with representatives of the sit-in, the COAS said while their administrative concerns will be pursued with the executive body, suggestions regarding security mechanism are being incorporated forthwith. “We can only be effective when locals are part of the security and vigilance,” he said.

“We as a nation have given unprecedented sacrifices in war against terrorism and we shall succeed. Our enemies shall never succeed to lower our resolve or to divide us,” the COAS said. Gen Bajwa said to date 126 brave soldiers of FC KP alone have laid down their lives and 387 others have been injured while performing security duties in Kurram Agency only. “FC KP is a professional force inclusive of all tribes and sects performing their duties selflessly,” he said.

The COAS said that Pakistan Army will continue its efforts to bring back normalcy in the country. He said that threat continues to reside across the border in Afghanistan with ISIS gaining strength there. “We need to remain united, steadfast, prepared and vigilant against this threat which has an agenda of exploiting sectarian fault-line. Our security forces are symbol of national integration so is our security apparatus; we are one nation”, he said, adding, “Also, a greater Pak-Afghan border coordination and security cooperation is required in this regard.”

Speaking at the occasion tribal elders expressed their full confidence and trust in army and its leadership. “We stand with our security forces and our blood is for our motherland. We all are Pakistanis and Muslim,” the elders remarked.

Later, talking to media, ISPR DG Major General Asif Ghafoor said that menace of terrorism would be completely eliminated with unity. “Security of whole country is equally valued for us … entire nation is equal for us and we are above any sect … we are Pakistanis and Muslims,” he said.

Published in Daily Times, July 1^st , 2017.