INDO-PACIFIC
Intelligence-Based Operations to be the Focus of Pakistan’s Counter-Terrorism Campaign
Last Saturday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif came under fire after his administration abruptly announced a new anti-terrorism campaign called Azm-i-Istehkam––or Resolve for Stability––without parliamentary consent. When opposition parties heard of plans to upgrade the "kinetic operations" of counterterrorism efforts, they heavily criticized Sharif for the lack of disclosure and pointed out previous failures of anti-militant operations. Today, Sharif insisted these critiques came from a misunderstanding: Azm-i-Istehkam is not a new military offensive involving civilian displacement but rather an intensification of ongoing intelligence-based operations (IBOs).