ISLAMABAD: Pakistan was facing a new wave of terrorism and a comparative rise in terrorism incidents was witnessed across the country, Shahadat Awan, the state minister for law and justice, said during a Senate session on Friday.

“Most of the incidents are reported in border adjacent areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan,” he responded to a question raised by Senator Seemee Ezdi.

At least 514 incidents – including 307 in KP, 189 in Balochistan, 12 in Sindh, and three each in Islamabad Capital Territory and Punjab – happened countrywide from January to July 2022, he said while quoting statistics from a data.

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Highlighting reasons for the increase in attacks, Awan said that the significant presence of “transnational terrorist organisations networks and local terrorist organisations safe havens” in Afghanistan was one of the main factors of the sad incidents.

“Terrorist organisations having liberty of action across the western border are trying to enhance their area of activities/outreach,” the senator said.

He was of the view that after the United States’ withdrawal, terrorist organisations acquired abandoned sophisticated weapons/equipment, and possession of long-range weapons with night vision devices enhanced lethality and night operational capability.

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“There is a growing nexus amongst various terrorist organisations at a lower tier for undertaking joint activities,” the senator said, alleging that terrorist organisations were reorganising and regrouping to gain a foothold in areas adjacent to the border for further ingress in major cities.

The state minister for law further elaborated on the measures taken by the government to overcome such burgeoning incidents.

Awan claimed that persistent intelligence based operations were undertaken to neutralise terrorist organizations and re-appraisal of the National Action Plan to counter terrorism. Moreover, the government was trying to effective border management and completion of border fencing in an earlier time frame.

He said: “Peace talks with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and engagement of disgruntled Baloch tribesmen for reconciliation are under way.” The establishment of safe city projects in vulnerable districts was being considered and fast tracked besides strengthening provincial Counter Terrorism Departments (CTDs).

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In addition to this, the government was making additional focus to counter terror financing and choking funding sources of banned outfits. “The government is trying its best for effective governance and socio-economic development to gain popular public support in newly merged districts and Balochistan.”

The government was doing regular security audits and providing foolproof security for national/religious leaders and events, he claimed.

The government reviewed existing laws and capacity building of all departments concerned to monitor the use of cyberspace and social media networks by the outlawed organizations, the minister said, adding that reappraisal/implementation was being made in “letter and spirit” of standard operating procedures for “protection of foreigners especially Chinese nationals/China Pakistan Economic Corridor” projects.

“Approval and effective implementation of counter-violent extremism (CVE) policy are in progress too,” he said.