PML-N still in denial over presence of terrorist training camps in South Punjab

ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Punjab government led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) appears hesitant to identify any militant group in South Punjab, as PML-N leader Javed Hashmi has reiterated that there were no terrorist training camps in the region.

Hashmi also said that there was no need for any military operation in the region.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik had admitted that South Punjab was fast becoming a terror hub.

Malik had said that following the ’successful’ military operations in Swat and FATA, the government was now chalking out a strategy to dismantle the terror network in South Punjab.

Demands for a Swat and Malakand type military operation in Punjab have gained momentum, especially after last month’s brazen terror siege of the two Ahmedi mosques in Lahore, in which over 90 people were killed and over 150 sustained injuries.

Hashmi further said that calling the war against terrorism only Pakistan’s war would be imprudent, as all world powers were fighting in the region for their own interests.

“Dealing with the issue of terrorism in isolation might be counter-productive.

The international community has to understand that Pakistan is facing the worst humanitarian crisis of its history due to this proxy war,” The Daily Times quoted Hashmi, as saying.

“Loss of life, displacement and a sense of insecurity are preventable only if all political parties, in and outside parliament, put their heads together to find a common strategy that works,” he added.

Earlier, Punjab Inspector General of Police Tariq Saleem Dogar had said that there was no need for any action as there were no ‘no go’ areas in the region, which has witnessed severe bloodshed in the recent past.

Dogar had also rejected the view that it was the madrassas in the province that were providing safe havens to the terrorists.

“No seminary in South Punjab was providing training to the militants and if someone has concrete evidence he should come to us. Terrorism is a universal problem and should not be associated with any particular area,” Dogar had said. (ANI)