After attack on the Indian Air Force Base in Pathankot, India asked Pakistan to investigate the involvement of non-state actors in Pakistan behind the attack. Government of Pakistan started a crackdown on Jaish-e-Mohammad, a group accused by India for planning the attack on the Air Base. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a meeting where heads of various ministries, intelligence agencies and Chief of Army Staff himself was present asked to investigate the issue as it was a matter of grave concern. As per the latest reports, several seminaries being run by JeM have been shut down while several members of the militant group including its leader, Maulana Masood Azhar, have been arrested. It was a long-overdue crackdown that should have been initiated much earlier. But question arises that how this group was functioning when government had imposed banned on terrorist groups. And why they were operating freely with no check on their activities. Why have they been allowed to operate and run their seminaries without any proper monitoring and surveillance? Why action againt Jaish-e-Muhammad was taken only after the terrorist attack on Pathankot which was also a violation of international laws. We need to understand that these non-state actors are not doing any favour to us; in fact they are becoming a reason for our embarrassment. It is the time that out government should put aside all the shyness and take serious action against these religious extremists. And action should not be taken just after the pressure of other countries. The government needs to continue the operation with full force and eliminate militants who indulge in anti-state activities while using Pakistani soil.
Crackdown against the militant organizations is a step in the right direction.