Seven militants en route to launch attack killed near Sheikhupura

[Irfan Baloch]

No police men hurt all the terrorists killed........no muqadma no FIR...sab dogs muqablay mien paar..

now thats the kind of police encounter I like

 

[Imran Khan]

why always lahore police select shekupura for encounters ?

 

[The Sandman]

Punjab police master of "encounters"

 

[haviZsultan]

Punjab police master of "encounters"

On a serious note if you look at real figures you will notice that Karachi police particularly under Chaudhry Aslam has engaged much more often in extra judicial killings of not only terrorists but political criminals.

 

[The Sandman]

On a serious note if you look at real figures you will notice that Karachi police particularly under Chaudhry Aslam has engaged much more often in extra judicial killings of not only terrorists but political criminals.

Isn't that good thing?and yes he was a brave guy imho

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

That's just a media sponsored fancy of ill-informed news anchors at best. There is no way that ISIS in any conceivable form could spontaneously emerge from Punjab. For starters, there is not an inch of land in Punjab not under the direct sovereign authority of the Government of Pakistan, a vacuum is the very first and most essential component in any insurgency that can accumulate enough power to actually expand, the TTP had it in FATA but I reiterate once again that the physical space for an ISIS threat emerging from Punjab simply does not exist.
Are there militancy problems in Punjab much like other provinces? You bet. Can we do more to address them? Absolutely. However, I urge you not to buy into the hype being peddled by the media houses, they need to sell a story and they will cash on the fears of the local populace to do so.

My view on ISIS (in Afghanistan or Pakistan) as articulated elsewhere is that ISIS in AF-PAK is essentially comprised of existing 'irreconcilable Taliban' or existing members of the TTP/AQ/LeJ/Jundullah etc who are hopping onto the latest 'terrorist trend' of ISIS.

The terrorist groups already exist, these terrorists (mid level leadership and foot soldiers) already exist - the terrorist attacks perpetrated under the guise of ISIS would have otherwise been perpetrated under the name of XYZ terrorist group.

As you pointed out, terrorists and terrorist abettors claiming allegiance to ISIS did not spontaneously sprout out of thin air - they just changed the name under which they perpetrate terrorism and violence.

With respect to your comments on the level of terrorism possible in Punjab, I would think we'd see an environment more akin to Karachi/Sindh than FATA/Balochistan.

 

[WaLeEdK2]

When's the operation in Punjab by rangers starting?

 

[Icarus]

My view on ISIS (in Afghanistan or Pakistan) as articulated elsewhere is that ISIS in AF-PAK is essentially comprised of existing 'irreconcilable Taliban' or existing members of the TTP/AQ/LeJ/Jundullah etc who are hopping onto the latest 'terrorist trend' of ISIS.

The terrorist groups already exist, these terrorists (mid level leadership and foot soldiers) already exist - the terrorist attacks perpetrated under the guise of ISIS would have otherwise been perpetrated under the name of XYZ terrorist group.

As you pointed out, terrorists and terrorist abettors claiming allegiance to ISIS did not spontaneously sprout out of thin air - they just changed the name under which they perpetrate terrorism and violence.

With respect to your comments on the level of terrorism possible in Punjab, I would think we'd see an environment more akin to Karachi/Sindh than FATA/Balochistan.

That is the most sound analysis on the situation and very much in line with ours. ISIS in Pakistan is composed of disenfranchised members that splintered from other groups and the greatest boon they can get is if an existing militant group, say the SSP or LeJ due to their common sectarian leanings decides to integrate with ISIS. However, the chances of that happening are bleak, terrorist groups, much like multinationals work on branding. Two years ago, when ISIS was gaining several kilometers of territory everyday against Syria and Iraq, they were a hot commodity, every militant group wanted to be associated with them solely because of their brand value. Today, ISIS has stagnated, they are facing losses all around, their advance has been reversed and they are no longer as dramatic a story as they were two years ago. In light of that reality, the LeJ and SSP would consider their own branding in Pakistan, which is very effective, mind you. Adopting the IS moniker right now, would do more harm than good to their existing following. That being said, the Khurasan Chapter of IS is based entirely in Afghanistan, even Shahidullah Shahid Group which is supposed to look after IS concerns in Pakistan is limited to Afghanistan and thus their ability to command a position vis-a-vis a domestic based group is severely limited.

 

[The Eagle]

I agree with you Sir on the brand name thing but most of them are ran away people. It is going to be more like Karachi in Punjab but hopefully wouldn't draw the picture that exactly happened in FATA. About these new inducted members in IS in Punjab, i would quote here like when MQM Hakiki was having the worse times then most of them joined initially Sunni Tehreek and later ANP & Amman Kamiti which was to oppose the MQM and being trained on views of MQM, were favored by these hosts as well. So the same thing is happening in Punjab like Hakiki happening in Karachi. ISIS wouldn't rise as whatever happening in Afghan or anywhere else but it would be doing business like the way MQM does in Karachi. I hope the same will crushed soon as Rangers has already started the ground work in Punjab but the most difficult times we are having just because of these illiterate people blindly supporting the Fitna without any clue that what Islam really teaches.

 

[Genghis khan1]

There is no ISIS in Pakistan. According to Ch.Nisar small terror groups and broken factions carry out terror and call it themselves ISIS to create hype.
If Sindh police start encountering terrorist Punjab police style, especially those with political backing, there will be peace in Karachi within weeks.

 

[Counterpunch]

That's just a media sponsored fancy of ill-informed news anchors at best. There is no way that ISIS in any conceivable form could spontaneously emerge from Punjab. For starters, there is not an inch of land in Punjab not under the direct sovereign authority of the Government of Pakistan, a vacuum is the very first and most essential component in any insurgency that can accumulate enough power to actually expand, the TTP had it in FATA but I reiterate once again that the physical space for an ISIS threat emerging from Punjab simply does not exist.
Are there militancy problems in Punjab much like other provinces? You bet. Can we do more to address them? Absolutely. However, I urge you not to buy into the hype being peddled by the media houses, they need to sell a story and they will cash on the fears of the local populace to do so.

Wise words!

But, there are some questions that better be answered now and these questions had been doing circles during Swat militancy wave as well;

The area was most peaceful of the whole country (justifiably called Switzerland of Pakistan). Despite there being no acceptance for fascism how so did it develop into breeding ground for one of the most violent waves of terrorism. It is understandable that the area had a tilt towards Islam and Daawah (Sufi's group) and this manpower might have been manipulated to pick up the guns (add the militants from FATA as well), but what really bothers is that it didn't follow the standard approach for spread of terrorism. It lacked the kind of vacuum that was required for the extremism to flourish. It lacked the poverty and extreme living conditions that are generally one of the important reasons for people losing their senses. It wasn't the kind of area that was a no-go for common folks (let alone sec. agencies) and despite all that it exploded into a volcano that haunts us to date

So, we need to tread with care while evaluating or preempting any potential threats from terrorists and terrorism. It is better to be prudent and proactive rather than getting carried away with the comforting gains of ZeA

 

[Icarus]

The area was most peaceful of the whole country (justifiably called Switzerland of Pakistan). Despite there being no acceptance for fascism how so did it develop into breeding ground for one of the most violent waves of terrorism.

You raise some very valid points and your selection of Swat for case study also reflects your interest in the subject. I shall try to do justice to your questions. For starters, although the people did not have an appetite for violence at all, there were various social and administrative problems that had been plaguing Swat and I have to concede that the reason Swat was lost to begin with, is because the Government had turned a blind eye towards the militant expansion into Swat from the agencies, primarily because they thought that the TTP might be contained with local governance of an urban locale.

It lacked the kind of vacuum that was required for the extremism to flourish.

Swat is a former princely state which were incorporated into the federation under an executive order. The following government machinery had failed to live up to people's expectations and the area had suffered under the same corrupt and inefficient judicial system that had plagued the rest of the country. Sufi Muhammad during the Malakand episode and subsequently Fazlullah himself practically built their movement on the single premise of speedy and transparent justice for all. Even today, although the areas have been liberated and the people are living content, peaceful lives, there is still some nostalgia for the Taliban justice system which handed out verdicts on one hearing.

It lacked the poverty and extreme living conditions that are generally one of the important reasons for people losing their senses. It wasn't the kind of area that was a no-go for common folks (let alone sec. agencies) and despite all that it exploded into a volcano that haunts us to date

The collapse of the tourism industry following 9/11 and rising militancy in Pakistan had hurt the local businesses so the economic collapse of the front running industry had paved the way for someone to walk in and take advantage of that.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Despite there being no acceptance for fascism how so did it develop into breeding ground for one of the most violent waves of terrorism.

I would argue that the fault lies with the leadership of the country during that time (Musharraf and the MMA in this case). Religious extremists were allowed too much space to expand (even when not committing outright violence). The situation had gotten to the point that there were public threats being aired against a 'mixed gender marathon/run' in Lahore of all places.

I'm not suggesting that Musharraf wanted religious extremism to rise, but the fact is that as an unconstitutional military ruler who chose to prop himself up via existing political players (unfortunately this happened to be the MMA in KP) and a newly free and vibrant media, he gave up too much space to religious extremists to stay in power. But even the MMA couldn't have turned the tide as much had it not been for the fact that the national narrative was so adamantly opposed to the NATO intervention in Afghanistan, which meant that religious extremists found far more sympathy and space in Pakistan due to perceived connections to the 'just Jihad against Amreeka in Afghanistan'.

It was a rather unfortunate moment in history when several events intersected and were exploited by religious extremists in their favor. That said, we haven't taken back all of the space conceded to religious extremists even now. Not until we repeal the blasphemy laws and stop persecuting Ahmadis can we truly claim victory from a legislative perspective (forget implementation).

 

[Donald Trump]

Seven killed with not even a scratch on any of the security forces? Doesn't seem right. It smells of encounter killings which I fully endorse where terrorists are concerned!

 

[haviZsultan]

Isn't that good thing?and yes he was a brave guy imho

Well it depends how a person looks at it. If we see it as a few dead terrorists who won't be able to complete their nefarious designs its a victory. If we however believe that the investigation and the law should be powerful, with no real loopholes then its a bad thing. In modern countries torture or extra judicial killings are not used but forensic evidence, witnesses and solid proofs are used to punish terrorists.

In my eyes until Pakistan has the capability to punish TTP/LEJ/Al Qaeda members through proper means then extra judicial killings it shall be as they are the only way to punish terrorists without them escaping. The courts free terrorists and terrorist sympathizers. This article is proof:

Pakistani courts let 3 out of every 4 terror suspects go: US State Dept - The Express Tribune