Pakistan's Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday confessed in the National Assembly that it was a collective mistake to prepare Mujahideen, who later became terrorists. He also claimed that the previous government under Prime Minister Imran Khan had released members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), who were serving death sentences.
"We did not need to make Mujahideen. We created Mujahideen and then they became terrorists," Sanaullah said.
Defence Minister Khwaja Asif, on the other hand, told the National Assembly that the National Security Committee will decide on the operation against terrorists.
Rana Sanaullah's statements came after a deadly attack on a mosque in Peshawar by the TTP, which left 100 people dead and over 220 injured. The Interior Minister emphasized that the TTP is not separate from the Afghan Taliban, and that the prior policy to resettle the Taliban did not yield results. He also pointed out that TTP terrorists have found safe havens in a neighboring country.
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Khwaja Asif also spoke about the deteriorating security situation in the country, blaming Afghan refugees for it. He stated that around 4.5 lakh Afghans had entered Pakistan with valid documents in the last 1.5 years but have not returned to Afghanistan. Asif also said that there is a need to create a consensus like the Zarb-e-Azb operation against terrorism. The Defence Minister further stated that a National Security Committee will decide on the operation against terrorists.
Asif spoke about the adverse effects of the Afghan refugees on Pakistan, saying that thousands of people were left without jobs after they settled in the country. He also mentioned that people of Swat and Wana had protested against the resettled people. Asif concluded by saying that the prime minister and the army chief visited Peshawar, where they were given a briefing on the attack, and called for the same resolve and unity that was expressed in 2011-2012.
