Pak top security committee vows to counter militancy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Pakistan's top security committee has promised a strong response to the resurgence in militancy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and agreed on a plan for counterterrorism measures.

Pakistan's top security committee has promised a strong response to the resurgence in militancy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and agreed on a plan for counterterrorism measures. The National Security Committee (NSC) meeting attended by ministers, and heads of intelligence agencies, was convened in the wake of massive protests in the Swat district against growing insecurity in the scenic valley, the Dawn newspaper reported.

The key security meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was, the first acknowledgement of sorts at the highest level of the deteriorating situation, the newspaper said. "The [NSC] meeting made it clear that the blood of every citizen of Pakistan is very precious and the law will deal strictly with anyone involved in shedding it," Pakistan Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, who returned to her home country after 10 years, also voiced her concern. "I add my voice to thousands of people protesting for peace in Swat. Monday's attack on a school bus full of children is a frightening reminder that our people must not be forced back into lives of fear and terrorism," she tweeted.

The surge in attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Swat District has given rise to the fear that the presence of militants and violence is making a comeback after more than a decade. Residents of Swat returned to the streets against the wave of terrorism this week, triggered by the attack on a school van, killing the driver and injuring two children, the Dawn newspaper reported.

Swat has recently witnessed a fresh wave of insurgency due to increased activities of TTP and targeted killings of militants. Earlier this month, Pakistan's State Minister for Law Shahadat Hussain conceded that terror activities had witnessed a sharp increase.

The highest number of terror incidents in Pakistan this year was recorded in September, said an Islamabad-based think tank pointed to the resumption of attacks by the outlawed TTP. The number of terror attacks increased in September compared to August this year, the Dawn said in an earlier report citing the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).

September witnessed 42 militant attacks with an increase of 35 per cent compared to August. The Pakistani think tank also observed an increase of 106 per cent in violence in erstwhile Fata and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). (ANI)

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