The final stroke of 2015 to achieve national security goals has been played by the Army Chief General Raheel Shareef who has sealed a deal with Kabul to confront anti-peace elements through joint efforts.

The Durand-Line the border with Afghanistan, is in fact is the most troubled region that needs to be cleansed of terror nests for good to eliminate the menace completely in a bid to protect national security’s larger goals.

According to DG ISPR Lt Gen Asim Bajwa both sides reiterated not to allow use of their soil against each other and decided to take stern action against elements involved in violence, through active intelligence sharing and Intelligence Based Operations (IBOs).

In May this year Afghanistan top intelligence service National Directorate of Security (NDS) had signed a MoU with Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in Kabul but could not materialized because of opposition of former NDS chief and a section of Afghan political elite.

NDS chief resigned after President Ashraf Ghani pledge at Heart of Asia Conference to work with Islamabad to launch joint moves to counter terror and resumption of peace talks with Taliban. After seven months the security MoU signed by the NDS and ISI finally seen the light of the day with President Ashraf Ghani reaching a security arrangement with Army Chief.

International security observers who are watching the security situation in Pakistan, a geo-politically important country, are of the opinion that the affects of anti-terror operations, Zarb-e-Azb, Khyber 1-2, besides small-scale targeted operations in Karachi, Punjab and other parts of Pakistan improved the security nearly to 80 percent.

After years of uninterrupted terror attacks, the situation has come to a normal and it seems permanent peace would finally come with anti-terror operations coupled with deradicalization of the society, which was largely radicalized under General Zia regime in a US and Arab nations-sponsored uprising in Afghanistan.

Pakistan, which practically declared war on terror in June 2014 under Operation Zarb-e-Azb to purge North Waziristan Agency of criminal gangs of TTP and foreign militants, intensified after Army Public School massacre in December 2014.

In the same year 20-point National Action Plan (NAP) was announced by the Prime Minister to cleanse all corners of the country of terrorists, their facilitators, financers and dealing with the Balochistan insurgency by taking radical steps to bring permanent peace in the country. The plan took roots early in 2015.

The Army and the paramilitary forces have to practically lead the anti-terror operations across the country as part of NAP as they have specialized units to deal with the terrorism, besides well-resourced and experienced intelligence services like Inter-Services Intelligence and Corps of Military Intelligence.

In Punjab and Sindh, the newly created Counter Terrorism Departments as part of NAP are making efforts for a foothold of the civilian security apparatus in this arena. They are getting intelligence inputs from Intelligence Bureau, besides putting its own intelligence wing on fast track. However the primary source of intelligence is still the military agencies.

The war against terror started from North Waziristan Agency (NWA), as it was the lifeline of terror networks across the country. If we look at the major war on terror sector which is NWA and in its surrounding areas, the military advances in the sector predict that it may conclude anytime next year. However the follow up targeted operations against terrorist sleeper cells will continue for which no final timeline can be predicted.

The security forces had cleared Shawal Valley of terrorists except for a pocket to its north-west. Zarb-i-Azb entered its final phase when army launched the ground offensive in Shawal Valley in May this year that was considered to be one of the last strongholds of militants in the region.
The ISPR figures as an update on Zarb-e-Azb for 2015 which also included military courts formed after introduction of NAP said, “About 3,400 terrorists belonging to different terrorist groups have been killed in the Operation Zarb-e-Azb so far, while 837 of their hideouts from which they carried out attacks have been eliminated.”

The Army had alongside Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan launched ‘Intelligence Based Operations’ (IBOs) in other parts of the country to target the individuals and groups linked with networks based in the tribal agency.

Nearly 13200 IBOs have been carried out in which 183 hardcore terrorists killed and another 21,193 captured. The IBOs helped break the linkages of terrorist organizations with their “sleeper cells” in rest of the country.

The Army concluded Operation Khyber-1 and handed over the control to the political administration and tribal elders in March 2015 in Bara tehsil of Khyber Agency. Over 100 terrorists were killed during the operation, while around 450 have been captured.

The operation launched in October 2014 to clear Bara tehsil of terrorists. The main aim of the operation was to clear the region from Bara upto the border of Tirah valley.

The Operation Khyber-2 in fact another phase to clear the agency upto Tirah Valley was the most deadly operation, which concluded in June 2015 but small scale follow operations were underway to clean even the smallest pockets.

Tirah Valley lies astride the Pak-Afghan border sandwiched between the famous Tora Bora Mountains and the Plains of Bara which connects with the provincial capital, thus giving it a unique strategic position.

The Mangal Bagh chief of banned Lashkar-i-Islam involved in poppy and hashish business crossed over to Naziyan district of Afghanistan’s Nangrahar province just across Tirah. The TTP and Jamaat-al Ahrar which had sent reinforcements and formed an alliance with Mangal Bagh have also pulled back and moved to Naziyan.

Military courts, which had been established after the NAP, tried 142 cases of terrorism and decided 55 of them, while 87 others were in process. The military courts had convicted 31 terrorists, of which 27 awarded death penalty and four were given life sentences, said the ISPR figures.

Nine military courts ‘in first phase’ to hold trials of terrorism related cases have been established. Three military courts each in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces respectively while two in Sindh and one in Balochistan, it added.

Regularizing and registering madaris, another important agenda item of NAP while checking religious seminaries foreign funding, found in 2015 through intelligence reports that more than 280 madaris in Pakistan are receiving financial support from around 10 countries.

The interior ministry record said that 285 seminaries were receiving funds from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Iran, Turkey, the US, the UK and South Africa.

The seminaries include 147 from Punjab, 95 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 30 in Balochistan, 12 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and one in Sindh. Over 100 seminaries sealed for fanning sectarianism in all the four provinces in 2015 following intelligence reports.

In November 2015, intelligence agencies have put more than 150 religious seminaries in black and grey categories in Punjab for their direct or indirect links with banned outfits and recommended for proper action as part of NAP.

The black category indicates the seminaries which are directly connected with the 60 banned outfits declared as terrorist organizations by the Ministry of Interior. The grey category involves the seminaries which have indirect links with the same outfits or some of their teachers and students facilitating the proscribed organizations without the knowledge of their administrators. This category may be involved with the militants through indirect channels.

Also, the government has reached an agreement with ulema on adding modern education and science subjects in madaris curriculum besides their registration in 2015.

As part of the NAP to choke terror financing, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had frozen one billion rupees in 126 accounts linked to banned organizations following country’s premier intelligence service information. Other investigation agencies also recovered Rs251.2 million in cash which was about to be traded through hawala and hundi following intelligence inputs.

The ISI had tracked down a ring of over 50 hundi and hawala dealers who were all of Afghan origin but holding Pakistani identity cards. They were accused of moving cash of the terrorist organizations. According to the ISI report, NADRA officials helped the accused acquire forged Pakistani ID cards.

Under reconciliation process for Balochistan, another important part of NAP, the government has introduced Pur Aman Balochistan programme under which amnesty for surrendering militants with cash has been offered, besides inviting the separatist Baloch leaders to join the peace process for the volatile province.

Hundreds of key militant commanders of Brahamdagh Bugti’s Balochistan Republican Army, Harbiyar Murri’s Balochistan Liberation Army, Dr Allah Nazar Baloch’s Balochistan Liberation Front and Javed Mengal’s Lashkar-e-Balochistan have put down arms and joined the peace process.

The government had opened channels with separatist Baloch leaders in July and August through emissaries like former chief minister Balochistan Dr Maalik, federal minister Lt General (Retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch and the new chief minister Balochistan Nawab Sana Ullah Zehri in Switzerland and London.

Brahamdagh Bugti is ready to negotiate but he wants someone from military establishment or close to them to talk with him as he believes that the real power lies with the military leadership.

He is ready to open talks with person like Lt Gen (Retd) Nasir Janjua, the popular ex-commander of southern command and current national security advisor.

Harbiyar is not willing to talk and is currently in India. Dr Allah Nazar Baloch had been killed in an operation but members of his militant outfit claimed he is alive. Javed Mengal is willing to put down arms but looking for a good deal.

Khan of Kalat Khan, Suleman Dawood Khan is also in the loop of efforts aimed to bring separatist leaders to the negotiating table for the solution of Balochistan issue.

While dealing with sectarian terrorists as part of NAP, during chased out operations high-profile sectarian terrorist have been neutralized. In February 2015, a top commander of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Usman Saifullah Kurd was killed in a clash with paramilitary troops in the Sariab Road neighbourhood of Quetta in an intelligence-led operation.

In July 2015, Malik Ishaq, another key LeJ commander was killed in Muzaffargarh, in an encounter with the Counter Terrorism Department of the Punjab along with his two sons.

In November 2015, Haroon Bhatti, one of the founding members of LeJ, and three others were killed again in a Counter Terrorism Department encounter in Lahore’s Badami Bagh area.

The killed LeJ leader was the head of death squad of banned terrorist outfit. He had been brought to Lahore after his arrest in Dubai along with four accomplices.

In July, in an intelligence-led operation, a high-profile sleeper cell of TTP was eliminated in 10-hour long gun-battle in Raiwind few kilometers away from ruling family’s residence.

In July, in an intelligence-based operation the head of Al-Qaeda in Pakistan was killed in a fierce encounter in Sheikhpura along with three of his accomplices.

Shaheed Punjab Home Minister Shuja Khanzada named the Al-Qaeda leader only as “Abdali” who was planning an attack on government figures and Punjab headquarters of Intelligence Bureau.

In August, the head of Al-Qaeda’s Karachi network and his accomplice were killed in a densely-populated Gulshan-i-Iqbal neighbourhood in a fierce gun-battle with Rangers, Police and intelligence agencies that also claimed the life of a civilian assistant director of a premier intelligence agency.
Countering hate speech and extremist material, over 9000 firebrand speakers and clerics have been arrested on charges of fanning sectarian hate. More than 6400 cases against religious leaders have been registered in Punjab, 1640 in Sindh, 1250 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and 45 in Balochistan. Over 90 cases have been registered in Islamabad Capital Territory, 91 in Azad Jammu & Kashmir and 20 in Gilgit-Baltistan, following intelligence surveillance inputs. More than 6800 clerics have been arrested in Punjab, 1235 in Khyber PK 6 in Sindh, 35 in Balochistan, 118 in ICT, 50 in AJK and 35 in Gilgit Baltistan.

Around 70 shops involved in spreading hate literature in Punjab, Balochistan, AJK and Gilgit Baltistan were also sealed, besides confiscation over 1950 materials from seminaries which were used to incite to attack opposing sects and minority groups.

Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar said that 1482 have been convicted of hatemongering on loudspeakers.

Strengthening and activation of Nacta is one of the important agenda items of NAP but the anti-terror authority still awaiting soul to make it active.
Nisar claimed Nacta the authority was being strengthened as the finance ministry had released funds. A much awaited Joint Intelligence Directorate was also being established.

The late security czar of Punjab, Colonel (Retd) Shuja Khanzada had made efforts for intelligence sharing pool in the province. He succeeded in introducing intelligence committees at provincial, divisional and districts level for timely sharing of the information to counter terror threats.
The intelligence committees work in the lead of the ISI with members from MI, IB, CTD and Special Branch.

The authorities have failed to ensure stopping re-emergence of proscribed organizations under new names and their penetration into the political setup. Around 1200 banned outfits backed candidates made their way into the local governance system in the result of local bodies’ polls.
Taking the ongoing operation in Karachi to its logical conclusion under NAP, the interior ministry said that the surgical operation in Karachi, Rangers has arrested over 58,000 criminals. Of them, 9,570 were absconders while 630 were proclaimed offenders. Others apprehended during the operation included 1,731 murderers, 713 terrorists, 517 extortionists and 118 kidnappers. Security forces also recovered 15,612 illegal weapons during the operation.

The federal government spent nearly Rs9 billion on Rangers in Sindh during the current fiscal year, while the Sindh government allocated Rs 2.44 billion in the provincial budget, including Rs1.69bn as payment for internal security duty allowance.

Another important area of dealing with Afghan refugees issue needs proper attention as many of them living in Pakistan on fake or without documents.

However, legally registered Afghan nationals are likely to be allowed to stay in Pakistan till December 2017. Afghans having Proof of Registration (PoR) cards be given another year to stay in the country. If the federal cabinet approves the summary, this will be the fourth extension given to the refugees.

Federal government had issued PoR cards to 1.5 million Afghans. The cards renewed last year will expire on December 31.

The government had decided to expel all unregistered Afghans after the massacre at the Army Public School and College, Peshawar, in December 2014. According to ministry of interior, there are over 7500 people in the fourth schedule in addition to including the names of 180 hardcore militants on the Exit Control List. Movement of 2050 hardcore militants has also been restricted. Over 600 terrorists had been killed during in 2015 in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber PK and Balochistan, while around 698 terrorists were captured. In FATA 368 terrorists were killed in more than 665 incidents.

The ISI and MI have smashed major spy rings of Indian intelligence agency, the RAW in Punjab, Balochistan and Karachi, besides Afghan NDS networks in tribal areas, Khyber PK and Balochistan. Anti-subversion operations in educational institutions were also launched to sweep the militant sleeper cells among the soft and young minds. Some sleepers were neutralized. The IB has been active on the NGOs, political activists, besides watching madaris. It has also identified some of the anti-state elements.

The major terror incidents took place in 2015 include suicide attack on Punjab Home Minister Colonel (Retd) Shuja Khanzada at his residence at Attock in August 2015 martyring him for waging war against the terrorists.

In Khyber PK terrorists struck PAF Base in Badaber near Peshawar in September 2015 martyring 42. All the attackers later killed in an encounter.
Harbiyar Murri’s BLA attacked Jiwani Airport in Balochistan in August 2015 martyring two public servants. In December 2015, two deadly terror attacks launched on Parachinar Bazaar and Nadra office in Mardan, part of Kurram Agency and Khyber PK respectively martyring more than 50 civilians.

In pursuance of peace efforts in South Asian region National Security Advisor General Nasir Khan Janjua met his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval in Bangkok in the first week of December.

In total 32 apex committee meetings were held in all the four provinces and 73 cases were sent to military courts.
FATA reforms are being worked out by the Federally Administered Tribal Areas Reforms Committee (FRC) formed in November 2015 but the task is difficult and may be time taking.