Foreign elements behind terrorism

According to the sources, the national policy on which the joint sitting of the Parliament was aimed at would be revolving around the question whether or not to stay part of the international war on terror. The sources believed that Pakistan has meagre options to get out of the international war by earning annoyance of the US as well as Saudi Arabia. The military officials informed the Parliamentarians that Pakistan would not be in a position to absorb economic fall-out of switching out of the American-led coalition. The House was informed that even meeting the expenses of the internal war against extremists would not be affordable for Pakistan without external assistance.

According to the sources, the presentation made by the DG MO also briefed the parliamentarians about the utility of over ten billion dollars that came in for the war on terror. The House was informed that most of the money that came in from the US was disbursed against the services rendered to the international forces including the intelligence sharing at the tripartite forum of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the US. These disbursements also included even the salaries of the additional deployments in the affected border areas, the sources said on strict condition of anonymity.

According to the sources, Pasha said the foreign hands are involved in ongoing terrorism wave unleashed in the country, and Afghan nationals are also among the terrorists arrested by the security agencies. He said Bajaur would be cleared soon.

He briefed the session about the suicide attacks that occurred so far in the country. He said that terrorists had launched 88 suicide attacks so far since July 2007 in which 174 army personnel were martyred, 416 were injured, and 122 police officials were martyred and 256 sustained injuries.

He said that 2244 militants and 581 foreign terrorists were killed in different actions taken by security forces, the sources maintained.