Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Waheed Arshad said on Thursday that up to 700 militants were operating in small groups in various areas of the NWFP. In an interview with CNBC, a private TV channel, the ISPR DG said, “They (militants) operate in small groups and terrorise civilians, forcing them to cooperate with them.” He said the majority of people in the area was peace-loving. They are true Pakistanis, he said, adding that the locals did not support the militants.He said all militants were not local. He said many of them were criminals who came from various parts of the country. “There are also reports regarding the presence of foreigners,” he added. Maj Gen Arshad said the citizens of the area were tired of militancy and were of the view that the militants were defaming Islam. There are several incidents of torture and victimisation of those who did not cooperate with them, he said, citing the beheading innocent people. He said that there were reports of links between the militants and Lal Masjid.
He said the army was called in because the situation was going out of control in Swat. Earlier, the NWFP government had been taking action against militants in collaboration with law enforcement agencies. He said army gunship helicopters were taking action only after they had confirmed reports of militant hideouts, ammunition dumps and check posts. He said ground troops had not been mobilised so far. He said the army was taking targeted action because it wanted to avoid civilian causalities.
Maj Gen Arshad said that earlier, the army had carried out unprecedented development work in FATA to bring the area at par with other areas of the country. In the education sector, he said, a quota for students from FATA had been allocated in various cadet schools and colleges. “100 seats have been allocated for FATA children in army public schools,” he added. He said the country was facing a national challenge in extremism and terrorism.