Pakistan: 'Burning Peshawar'

The rural towns located close to Peshawar, bordering Khyber Agency and Darra Adamkhel have been divided into eight zones following deployment of army troops and extra police has been stationed to stop infiltration of militants from the tribal areas. Though there are efforts to keep militants out, what about those who are already in? It is time to pay attention to Peshawar, probably the second most dangerous city in Pakistan. In 2011, a raid at the Peshawar Airport seized over 7,000 foreign pistols and three million rounds that were being illegally transported from Turkey. In December 2012 militants struck at Peshawar airport. Peshawar is a gateway and a hub for militants, smugglers and criminals.

Peshawar is a prime target for revenge attacks being the nearest city to the tribal areas and has come under repeated assaults in the past. The law enforcement agencies recovered a 15kg bomb on Monday in a market in Hayatabad, Peshawar. The shooting at the PIA flight landing in Peshawar from Riyadh yesterday was another in a list of attacks on civilians, killing one passenger and injuring many. The locality around the Peshawar Airport is extremely dangerous. More than 500 suspects have been arrested so far in the ongoing search operation by security forces. What is clear that militants and criminals are entirely devoid of any ethical codes, and a harsh counter offensive is needed. Internationally the security situation in Pakistan is becoming a joke. Emirates has suspended operations in Peshawar (and is ready to sue over the diverting of its plane thanks to the squabbling between Dr Qadri and the Sharifs).

The towns in Peshawar districts in the limits of Badaber, Matani and Sarband have been in chaos for many years as these are located on the boundary with Khyber Agency and the Frontier Regions of Peshawar and Kohat. The military operation in North Waziristan has already seen militancy flee to Khyber Agency. How long till the war comes to Peshawar? It is one thing that a war is ongoing, and there are civilian casualties and displacements… another that even civilians who think they are safe in a plane, miles from the ground, are subject to cowardly terrorism. North and south, from Karachi to Peshawar, the security situation is a muddle and there is no writ of the state. It doesn’t matter if the government is PTI, PML-N… they are all bad at their job. With the inflow of evacuees from North Waziristan, the situation in KPK may soon become unmanageable.