Terrorists should not be called by any other name, says Tarar

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday criticized the use of the term “militants” to describe those responsible for attacks on civilians, saying “terrorists are terrorists” and should not be referred to by any other name.

In a post on X, Tarar said: “Terrorists are terrorists, they have no caste, color, creed or religion. He said there appeared to be “a tendency to refer to these terrorists as ‘militant,’ which is extremely unfortunate,” adding that the terminology used to describe such attacks was important.

Referring to a report by Turkish public broadcaster TRT World on the recent terrorist attack on a Rangers facility in Karachi, in which three security officers were killed, Tarar criticized the channel for calling the attackers “militants”, saying they should instead be called “terrorists”.

“The Karachi attack was a terrorist attack in which innocent people were killed.” He added that “terrorists should not be called by any other name.”

Tarar’s comments come days after security forces foiled a terror attack in Karachi, in which three Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) personnel embraced martyrdom and four others were injured. The attack, according to army media, was launched by “Khawarij belonging to an Indian agent, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar“The attackers, after an explosion at the main entrance to the Ranger camp, attempted to force the security perimeter but were repelled by personnel who killed three people. Kharjis and captured one, identified as an Afghan national, injured.

Fitna al-Khawarij is the state-designated term for the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar is one of the group’s splinter factions.

On Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said the Afghan charge d’affaires had been summoned and had taken strong action over the attack. The move “was launched in light of the fact that Afghan nationals, including one apprehended alive, participated in this attack, proving once again that Afghan soil and Afghan nationals continue to be used to orchestrate terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.”

Earlier, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said security forces carried out precision strikes against terrorist camps and safe havens. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar And Fitna al-Khawarij in the Afghan provinces of Paktia, Paktika and Kunar, killing 29 terrorists. The strikes were carried out as part of Operation Ghazab Lil Haq. on the night of June 28 to 29 after an attack on a Rangers camp in Karachi.

Fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan began in October, leaving dozens dead on both sides, with Afghans worst affected. Islamabad accuses the Afghan Taliban of harboring terrorists who launch attacks in Pakistan, although Kabul denies this, calling such militancy an internal problem in Islamabad.