Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday strongly condemned the use of the term 'militants' to describe terrorists, calling it an 'unfortunate trend' that dilutes the severity of terrorism. His comments came in response to a report by Turkish public broadcaster TRT World on the recent attack on a Rangers facility in Karachi, which left three security personnel martyred.
Terminology Under Fire
Tarar objected to TRT World labeling the attackers as 'militants,' insisting that acts of terrorism must be clearly identified. 'The Karachi attack was a terrorist attack in which innocent people were killed. Terrorists must not be called by any other name,' he stated. He further emphasized that 'terrorists are terrorists, they have no caste, colour, creed or religion.'
Background of the Attack
The remarks follow the military's media wing announcement of the capture of one of the terrorists involved in the Karachi Rangers facility attack. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) identified the suspect as an Afghan national linked to the Indian proxy Jaamatul Ahrar. According to the military, he and his accomplices were trained in Afghanistan before infiltrating Pakistan to carry out the attack.
Diplomatic Response
On Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Afghan charge d'affaires and lodged a strong demarche over the Karachi terrorist attack. Pakistan has repeatedly called on the Taliban regime to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries operating from Afghan territory that are used to launch attacks inside Pakistan. However, those requests have repeatedly gone unanswered.
