Interior Minister warns of terrorist attacks in coming months

Sheikh Rasheed says Pakistan has good systems, intelligence to deal with terrorists

Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad has cautioned of an increase in terrorist activities in the coming months, a local newspaper has reported.

In an interview with British media outlet, said terrorism will rise in the country in the next two months. However, he added that Pakistan had a good system to fight terrorists and a robust intelligence network using which terrorist activities would be dealt with.

Rasheed said that the Afghan Taliban played a positive role and mediated in the negotiations with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) outfit, but were unable to force the group into anything. The minister said that the Afghan Taliban were working to keep the TTP from taking part in terrorist activities.

Rasheed said that further negotiations with the group had been halted as the TTP violated the ceasefire. He said the group ended the agreement themselves, and the talks which the government held with it yielded no results. Rasheed added that the demands made by TTP were unacceptable.

The minister elaborated that the group wanted the release of their prisoners who were serving sentences in the country. He said the release of such “dangerous” personnel was impossible.