Amid the rise in militancy in the northwest part of the country, former Pakistani senator Afrasiab Khattak has said that people in the region have had enough and have come out against terrorism.
The recent 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.
Speaking during a conference on the Taliban's return to Pakistan, the Pashtun nationalist politician claimed that more than 1,000 activists of the Awami National Party had been killed by the Taliban.
"The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have rejected negotiations and deals with the Taliban. This is also a part of the new great game -- the US and Europe want to block China, use our area and spill more Pakhtun blood," he was quoted as saying by Dawn newspaper.
According to media reports, Swat has recently witnessed a fresh wave of insurgency due to increased activities of TTP and targeted killings of militants.
Due to Swat's close proximity to erstwhile tribal agencies and Afghanistan, terrorist threats are always looming on critical infrastructure and government buildings, particularly schools and hospitals, which are a complex security challenge.
Since the fall of Kabul, no one had challenged the Taliban, according to former Afghan envoy to Pakistan Dr Omar Zakhilwal.
Zakhilwal argued that there was no pressure from the international community, which was only focused on women's issues and there was also no pressure for action against the militant Islamic State or Al-Qaeda.
"The non-Taliban leadership remained fragmented and Afghans were angry over the weakness of the civil leadership," said Zakhilwal.
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).
( With inputs from ANI )
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