LAHORE - Following the announcement of a full-fledged military operation in North Waziristan, the security code in major cities has been put on ‘very sensitive’ keeping in view the possible threat of the outlawed TTP actions, The Nation has learnt.
Sources in the security establishment privy to the new arrangements told this correspondent on Sunday that security code has been put on ‘very sensitive’ to avert any possible deadly threat by the outlawed TTP members following the government’s decision of launching an all-out operation against the local and foreign militants holed up in North Waziristan.
They informed that security services are focusing Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Bahawalpur, Sargodha and Jhang on priority with regard to the outlawed TTP supporters’ possible activities. Besides other parts of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan would also be under strict vigil. They added that Karachi, Sindh’s capital city was also under the ‘zeroing’ of the security services to counter any untoward incident.
The security establishment sources informed that accelerated security swoops were also underway to comb out the possible sympathisers and supporters of the outlawed TTP in the mentioned cities and provinces. They added that fresh directions have also been passed to the security agencies to beef up security of all important places and installations.
Meanwhile, a senior member of an intelligence agency sharing his assessment concerning the North Waziristan operation with this scribe said the outlawed TTP was facing infighting which would definitely benefit the security forces to complete their task. However, the security forces were not depending on the militants’ infighting to accomplish their task, as they have completed their homework to root out the terrorists once and for all. He said that they possess sufficient network for getting the on-ground actionable intelligence to sweep the North Waziristan from the militant elements both local and foreign. The veteran intelligence member added that they had established network of highly trained ground operatives in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan when they first take on the militants during General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf regime.
Brigadier (Retd) Mehmood Shah, former secretary Fata and spymaster sharing his experience on the issue said that security services should not throwaway the option of getting assistance of the pro-peace groups in the TTP. He said that he along with other members of the security services took the assistance of the pro-state groups against the elements not ready to accept the writ of the state during an operation in tribal region in 2006.