Malala shooting no justification of NWA operation: PESA

Rawalpindi:The Pakistan Ex-servicemen Association (PESA) on Wednesday strongly opposed suggestions from different quarters to launch military operation in North Waziristan in the aftermath of assassination bid on Malala Yousafzai.

The people of North Waziristan are patriotic Pakistanis and have nothing to do with Malala shooting, it said.

These observations were made in a meeting chaired by President PESA Lt. Gen (Retd) Ali Kuli Khan. Vice Admiral Ahmad Tasnim. Air Marshal Masood Akhtar, former ambassador Salim Nawaz Gandapur, Brig Riaz Ahmed, Brig Masud ul Hassan, Major Farouk Hameed and others were also present on the occasion.

The PESA members said that attack on Malala has already been condemned by a jirga attended by leading Maliks who have called it as anti-Islamic and against Pakhtun values and traditions.

A military operation against them would be a cruel injustice as they are already suffering irreparable losses from the Drone attacks, they added.

The warning issued by tribal notables that they will move over to Afghanistan if operation is launched cannot be taken lightly as it could have serious implications for Pakistan, the former military strategists warned.

The meeting observed that the actual culprit is group led by radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah, an affiliate of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He is enjoying Afghan government’s hospitality and is carrying out frequent raids in Dir, Bajaur, Swat and other areas of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa province, from his bases setup inside Afghanistan.

PESA members said that government should immediately demand and ensure extradition of Fazlullah. US Government is in a position to exert pressure in this regard, they added.

Efforts should also be made for earliest repatriation of over three million Afghan refugees. Their camps could also be used as launching terrorist attacks in Pakistan, they demanded.