By IANS,
Islamabad : Exporting jehad to other countries, especially in South Asia, has triggered internal warfare in Pakistan, the Daily Times said Monday.
Alleging that “most terror networks operating in Pakistan were nurtured by our state”, an editorial urged Islamabad to give up its policy of “duality”.
“We need to give up our duality of policy. Most terror networks operating in Pakistan were nurtured by our state. Some of them still enjoy overt or covert support of the military establishment.
“Exporting jehad to other countries … has now led to internal warfare. If the loss of 35,000 lives at the hands of terrorists in recent years is not enough reason for the security establishment to wake up to this grim reality, then there is no hope left for Pakistan,” it added.
In the latest of unceasing terror strikes in Pakistan, 12 policemen were killed Saturday when two Taliban militants – a man and his wife – attacked a police station in Dera Ismail Khan.
“The fact that a man wore a burqa to deceive the police is nothing new. Maulana Abdul Aziz of Lal Masjid fame tried to escape from the mosque in a burqa in 2007.
“The Taliban are not getting innovative; they are just following in the footsteps of their fellow radicals. What is worrying is the frequency of attacks on the security forces.”
The daily pointed out that the audacious attack on the Pakistani naval based in Karachi last month showed how a handful of terrorists could wreak havoc in a supposedly secure military base.
The May 22 attack led to a 16-hour-long siege, left 10 people dead and two surveillance aircraft in ruins.
The editorial observed that “despite continuous attacks, there is no sense of urgency and it is business as usual”.
It called for “a review and purge of the fifth columnists within the security forces.
“The process has already begun with the arrest of some jehad sympathizers within the army but those who are in cahoots with the terrorists within the police forces also need to be taken to task.”
Stating that the security forces must not let their guard down at any point, it urged the intelligence agencies to sharpen their intelligence-gathering methods.