New Delhi, Oct 23 (IANS) The Pakistan government justified its decision to impose emergency and Governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on security grounds.
However, the Shehbaz Sharif-led government, which took the decision on the instructions of Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, is now struggling to strike a balance in dealing with the situation in KP.
An official said Islamabad was now in a state of panic following the decision. Sharif and Munir have since chaired a series of meetings to review the situation and discuss the way forward.
“The problem for Islamabad is that attacks in KP have continued despite the decision. In fact, groups challenging the establishment have vowed to intensify their operations and carry out deadlier attacks in the region,” the official said.
Pakistan observers say Islamabad has misjudged the situation, with the collapse of its relations with the Afghan Taliban further complicating matters.
“The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remains Islamabad’s biggest challenge in the region. The PTI government in KP had repeatedly sought Islamabad’s help to contain the violence. However, Islamabad feared that the PTI could use such assistance to its political advantage and score brownie points,” the experts said.
An Indian Intelligence Bureau official said that relations between China and Pakistan had come under strain following terrorist attacks targeting Chinese workers in the region.
The decision to impose emergency and give the army complete control of the situation is now backfiring, as the TTP has vowed to intensify attacks on security forces and step up strikes against Chinese workers.
The back-to-back meetings held in Islamabad between the federal government and the army decided to finalise counter-terror operations in the region. There have been discussions on announcing a comprehensive financial package for KP.
The establishment also wants to recalibrate local infrastructure and ensure that there is better resource management in the region.
The people of the region have always complained that their resources are being used, but the benefits are being passed on to elsewhere in the country.
While these are desperate measures by Pakistan, they would be short-lived. Once the dust settles, it would all be back to square one. This familiar script has been used by Islamabad several times, but each time, the KP region has plunged into crisis, an official said.
–IANS
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