Pakistan has been a victim of extremists and terrorists for a number of years. Many extremist outfits masquerading in the name of Islam have cropped up in the country over the years, particularly after the Afghan jihad who have taken to violence and terrorism as a means of achieving their ends. They had been operating mainly in the tribal areas alongside the border with Afghanistan till a few months ago. But with the passage of time they sneaked into the cities also and established their hideouts. It had become a security problem of national scale.

The successive governments had failed to resolve the problem. Therefore, soon after the general election of 2013, the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took up the matter. After deliberations among the government and the opposition leaders, it was decided to first try to reach a peaceful settlement with the Tehrike Taliban, the principal adversary. The actual negotiations started between the committees of the government and the Taliban in March this year.

The Taliban did not name their own men; instead they nominated some pro-Taliban religious figures to present their views. While the government side insisted on cessation of hostilities the Taliban demanded implementation of Sharia as they understood it .It became apparent from the very first meetings that it was impossible to reach an amicable settlement with them. The Taliban side also did not reciprocate the government's gestures of peace. The negotiations collapsed when the Taliban executed 23 soldiers of the Pakistani militia whom they had captured two years before. That was followed by a terrorist attack on Karachi airport in which there were two dozen casualties including those of the Taliban and extensive damage to property.

It was at that point that the government finally decided to launch a military operation against the Taliban and other terrorist outfits including Al-Qaeda. The operation named Zarb-e-Azb was started on June 26. The air force also went into action. The troops moved into the tribal area of North Waziristan smashing the terrorists' hideouts and bombing their sanctuaries. The biggest problem faced by the government was the displacement of about a million people living in various towns and hamlets in the tribal area. The displaced families have been out up in temporary shelters around the towns and cities outside the battle zone.

In the three months of the operation, most of the Taliban sanctuaries have been destroyed and the terrorists have either been killed or subdued. The operation is headed towards successful conclusion.

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