Pak to act against only those banned militant groups that have waged war against state

Only a handful of the 72 organisations that have been declared "proscribed" are likely to face any clampdown from the Pakistani government as it has decided to target only those groups that have taken up arms against the state, sources in the interior ministry said.

Sources said that in the initial stages of the impending crackdown on terrorists and militant groups, the government has decided to focus only on organizations that are involved in violent activities against the state, reported the Dawn.

The report quoted the source as saying that after their arrest and interrogation, the terror suspects will be tried in military courts under a defined procedure.

Groups that had claimed responsibility for recent terror attacks will be targeted, he said and added that a comprehensive assessment was being carried out to find out how many of the 72 banned groups were active and how many were operating under changed names.

Most banned militant organizations do not have military wings and the ministry has no plans to act against such groups, he conceded.

The government's list includes organizations such as, Al Qaeda, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, and some of its factions, including the Tehreek-i-Taliban Bajaur, Tehreek-i-Taliban Mohmand and Tehreek-i-Taliban Swat among others.