Redefine News

Pakistan has arrested a key militant commander suspected of launching suicide attacks in the country's northwest, Pakistan's army announced Monday.

Abu Faraj was arrested during a military operation in the Swat region, but the army statement did not say when. Abu Faraj is believed to be one of the key commanders for Maulana Fazlullah, the head of the Pakistani Taliban in Swat, who is still at large.

The brazen simultaneous suicide attacks at separate places in Pakistan on Thursday accompanied by guerrilla-style operations clearly demonstrate that the Taliban retain the might to take on the state at several fronts despite setbacks in Swat in Pakistan’s northwest.

The most worrying factor, however, for Islamabad is that the attacks bear the fingerprints of the Punjabi terror outfits which are rallying around the Taliban to make things worse for the Pakistan regime. The government is finding itself helpless in the face of destabilizing attacks that have intensified after the militia regrouped after the death of its ruthless commander Baitullah Mehsud in a US drone attack in August.

Officials said 30,000 troops, backed by artillery, had moved into the region where Pakistan Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud is based.

Militants were reported to be offering stiff resistance as troops advanced from the north, east, and west.

A curfew was imposed in the region before the offensive began.

There have been several co-ordinated Taliban attacks in recent days, killing more than 150 people in cities across Pakistan.

“The real threat of sophisticated militant attacks now comes from Punjab where militants have engaged the security forces in face-to-face fighting”, an official said.

Lahore has become a prime target. Terrorists have carried out several attacks on the city, Pakistan’s cultural and political hub. In March, insurgents attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team who had come to Lahore for a tournament and dealt a body blow to Pakistani cricket.

Punjabi terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), with strong links with the Taliban and al-Qaida, is believed to have masterminded the attack. The Punjabi terrorists and Taliban nexus means Pakistan has to fight the war on many fronts and it can’t be won just by driving militants out of the Swat.

One resident of Makeen town described the onset of fighting.

"We heard the sounds of planes and helicopters early Saturday. Then we heard blasts. We are also hearing gunshots and it seems the army is exchanging fire with Taliban," Ajmal Khan told the Associated Press news agency by telephone.

The mobilization came a day after Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani held a meeting of the country's senior political and military leadership.

The Taliban have threatened to continue the attacks if the government goes ahead with the Waziristan offensive.

“We’ve enough bombers and they are asking me to let them sacrifice their lives, but we’ll send suicide bombers only if the government acts against us”, a Taliban commander said.

In Islamabad, the rulers are dithering and there is no political consensus on tackling terror. “We should stop playing games of good and bad Taliban on our eastern (Indian) and western fronts”, said political analyst Amir Mateen.