ISLAMABAD, (TDI): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday attributed the recent surge in terrorist violence in Pakistan to external hand, calling for a united front comprising federal and provincial authorities alongside the military to address the escalating crisis.
The northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the southwestern province of Balochistan have experienced a sharp rise in deadly militant activities over the past year.
Groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other terrorists or separatist factions have been responsible for attacks on security forces, checkpoints, and routine killings and kidnappings of law enforcement personnel and government officials.
Pakistani officials frequently blame Afghanistan for enabling “cross-border attacks,” an accusation that Kabul denies, asserting that Pakistan’s security issues are domestic.
Similarly, Islamabad has accused India of fomenting unrest in Balochistan, a charge New Delhi has consistently dismissed.
“In certain regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, the conspiracies against Pakistan clearly involve external actors,” Prime Minister Sharif stated during an apex committee meeting on the National Action Plan in Islamabad. “We are fully aware of the countries providing support to these militant groups,” he added.
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Sharif called for stronger collaboration among Pakistan’s institutions to combat militancy. “I urge the provinces, the federation, and the Pakistan Army to devise a comprehensive strategy. We must engage in dialogue to determine how to eradicate this menace of militancy,” he said.
The prime minister emphasized that Pakistan’s progress in various sectors hinges on ensuring law and order and eliminating militancy entirely.
“Unity in thought and action is critical for countering the schemes aimed at destabilizing our country,” he noted.
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The meeting was attended by key stakeholders, including Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir, DG Inter-Services Intelligence Lt. Gen. Asim Malik, federal ministers, and provincial chief ministers.
During a briefing last month on December 27, military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry revealed that 925 militants had been killed in 59,775 operations conducted across Pakistan in 2024, with most of these operations occurring in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Militant attacks have intensified in Pakistan since November 2022, following the breakdown of a fragile ceasefire between the government and the TTP.
Additionally, ethnic Baloch separatists, who accuse the central government of exploiting Balochistan’s natural resources, continue their decades-long struggle for independence.
