Rana Sana informs Senate ‘NACTA not privy to any peace contract or its termination with TTP’

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan on Friday informed the Senate that the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) is neither privy to any peace agreement nor its termination with the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) amid the ongoing peace talks, as a list of 23 terror outfits was provided to the House which were found “actively involved in terrorism” in two years—2019-21.

The interior minister told the House through a written reply to a question by Senator Palwasha Khan who had sought whether it was a fact that after the termination of the peace contract with the TTP, the number of terrorist attacks across the country had increased.

“NACTA is not privy to any peace contract or termination of peace contract with the TTP,” the interior minister stated.

However, about the number of terror attacks across the country, the interior minister revealed that a total of 434 terror attacks had been carried out by the militants from January to June 2022, killing a total of 323 – 188 law enforcement agencies’ personnel and 135 civilians.

During the year so far, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa remained at the top of the terrorists’ hit list with a total of 247 terror attacks with 223 fatalities followed by Balochistan where 171 terror attacks were carried out by the militants and 87 fatalities.

The terrorists also carried out 12 attacks in Sindh with total of eight fatalities, three attacks in Islamabad with two fatalities, and one in Punjab with three fatalities, according to the data provided by the interior minister to the Senate.

To another query, the interior minister provided a list of 23 terrorist organisations “found actively” involved in terrorist activities in 2019-2021; (1) Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamat (ASWJ) Ex-SSP, (2) Al-Qa’ida, (3) Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), (4) Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), (5) Balochistan Liberation United Front (BLUF), (6) Balochistan Raaji Ajoi-R-Sangar (BRAS), (7) Balochistan Republican Army (BRA), (8) Daish/ISIL/IS/ISIS, (9) Hizb-ul-Ahrar (HuA), (10) Hizb-ul-Tahreer, (11) Jaish-e-Islam, (12) JamatUlAhrar (JuA), (13) Jeay Sindh QuamiMahaz (JSQM), (14) Jundullah, (15) Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), (16) Lashkar-e-lslami, (17) Sindhu Desh Revolutionary Army (SRA), (18) Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), (19) Sipah-i-Muhammad Pakistan (SMP), (20) Tehrik-e-Jaffria Pakistan (TJP), (21) Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), (22) United Baloch Army (UBA), and (23) Zainabiyyon Brigade.

To a question about the number of retired personnel from the armed forces of Pakistan currently employed in the NADRA, the interior minister stated that the total staff working in NADRA was 19,161, out of which, 1,109 (5.78 percent) employees were from the armed forces.

He further stated Lt Col Muhammad Talha Saeed (retd) was inducted in the NADRA service, while the rest were hired on contract.

Giving breakup of the retired military officials employed at the NADRA, he stated that out of 1,109 employees, 1,060 employees were lower cadre staff, which included security guards, drivers and officials (clerical/registration staff) while 49 retired officers were holding managerial positions in the organisation. These include nine on the positions of director generals, 20 as directors, 15 deputy directors, four assistant directors, and one deputy assistant director.

To another question, Rana Sanaullah Khan told the House that in 2021, the FIA Cyber Crime Wing received 102,772 complaints, out of which verification of 80,803 complaints had been completed.

He stated that 15,973 enquiries had been registered on verified complaints, 1,213 enquiries had been converted into cases. Complete challans of 591 of the registered cases had been submitted in court of law and 1,306 criminals were arrested in the registered cases, the minister added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022