On 24 June 2014, shots were fired at a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane, PK 756, en route from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The PIA flight carrying 190 passengers on board was fired upon a few minutes before landing at Bacha Khan International airport in Peshawar, injuring two stewards and killing one passenger. Sameer Patil, associate national security fellow at Gateway House, comments on this latest attack.
Statement:
“The attack on a Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) civilian plane on 24 June 2014 at Peshawar airport is the terrorists’ riposte to the Pakistan army’s offensive against the Taliban in North Waziristan last week. Civilian planes and airports are repeated targets because they have been poorly guarded and are easy prey for terrorists. It is likely that the terrorists are hoping that with repeated attacks on civilian targets, some sections of the Pakistani population may demand a temporary halt to the army’s military operations against the Taliban.
Security forces in Pakistan’s urban areas are not prepared to deal with blowback from Talibani terrorists. Similar attacks are likely to increase as military operations intensify.”
For more information or interview requests, please contact Reetika Joshi at joshi.reetika@gatewayhouse.in.