Abstract
The influx of terrorist outfits in North Waziristan Agency took place after the military
offensives Rah-e-Nijat in South Waziristan Agency and Rah-e-Rast in Swat Valley in 2009
conducted by the armed forces of Pakistan. The new establishment decided to put
negotiation on table in 2013 with terrorist outfits and invited them to peace dialogues on
January 29, 2014.All through the peace talks, the continued terror activities led to the
initiation of a comprehensive operation by the armed forces of Pakistan, targeting all the
terrorist outfits. On Army’s insistence, the PML-N government after the audacious attack
on Jinnah International airport by the Uzbek fighters allowed the army to go for a military
offensive in NWA. Two weeks after the operation started, airstrikes were launched and then
ground battle receiving army gunships and air force fighter bombers was started. For air
force surveillance and intelligence gathering, drones were also used in critical areas. After
one year, Operation Zarb-e-Azb is heading towards its last juncture achieving success and
eliminating terrorism. However, a possible threat that looms is the reemergence of the
Terrorist outfits that slipped the Khost province of Afghanistan that was left unmanned for
two weeks despite requests to the Afghan establishment by Pakistan but the Pakistan armed
forces are vigilant and determined to root out terrorism from their mother land. Meanwhile,
the government must pay heed to de-radicalization and reintegration of Pakistani youth by
creating employment opportunities for them and reforming the role of madrassas.
Key words: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Terrorist outfits, peace negotiations, military offensive.
Umbreen Javaid. (2015) Operation Zarb-e-Azb: A Successful Initiative to Curtail Terrorism, South Asian Studies, Volume 30, Issue 2.
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