Islamabad, June 01: Expressing fearing that sectarian outfits have aligned with tribal militants, Interior Minister Rehman Malik has hinted at launching an operation in parts of Punjab on the pattern of an operation carried out in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).
The Punjab government however reacted to Malik’s statement saying no operation is needed in the province.
Malik told journalists that 726 of the 1,764 members of banned organisations belonged to south Punjab.
The minister was talking to the C-42 TV channel where he had gone to offer condolences over the death of its technician who was covering Friday’s terror attack on an Ahmadi place of worship in Garhi Shahu.
“There will be an operation in south Punjab on the pattern of tribal areas,” the channel quoted the interior minister as saying.
Although the Friday attack revived calls for operation in south Punjab, the PML-N which rules the province denied that it is the hub of Punjabi Taleban.
“Army operations are required only where there are no-go areas and there is no such situation in any part of Punjab,” said Punjab Minister Rana Sanaullah. He described the minister’s statement as an attempt to ‘destabilise’ the province.
Provincial police have claimed they have dismantled the network of militants who attacked Ahmadis places of worship and arrested about a dozen people on clues provided by two militants who were arrested after the attack.
Malik also visited the worship place of Ahmadis in Model Town which also came under attack.
“I am not here to confront the Punjab government (on the south Punjab issue) but want to seek its cooperation to fight terrorists jointly,” he said.
–Agencies