It is almost six months since the launch of operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan. 1 The operation has been further extended to Khyber agency named as Khyber-1 2 with the aim to root out terrorism from Pakistan. An endeavor has been made in this study to focus on the main objectives of the operation Zarb-e-Azb and its conduct and the success story so far narrated as well as the local, regional and international narratives and perspectives attached to its modus-operandi and ultimate goals. The paper also addresses the preparation for and circumstances under which the operation has been launched and significance of timings and the element of surprise and the scope in the time and space dimensions. There is a need to analyze the fallout effects of the operation in the internal and external perspectives and highlight the significance of its outcome. The importance of integrated strategy to achieve sustainable peace and the need for revisiting policies in terms of long-term implications and reorientation has been recommended for a sustainable solution.
The article, prepared by an IPS Task Force, is primarily based on a roundtable held at IPS on October 20, 2014. It covers the developments with regard to the ongoing military operation and its outcomes up to the first week of December 2014. The scenario continues to be changing and a shift happened when a brutal attack took place on a school in Peshawar on December 16, 2014. The argument presented here, however, remains relevant in spite of somewhat changing situation in the post December 16 scenario. The task force headed by DG IPS Khalid Rahman included Senior IPS Associate Brig. (r) Said Nazir and Assistant Research Coordinator Ms. Fehmeedah Khalid.
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