Home Editorial Editorial: Pakistan’s TTP Challenge

Editorial: Pakistan’s TTP Challenge

The resurgence of the militant group risks becoming the most significant threat to the survival of any government

by Editorial

Aref Karimi—AFP

Tackling the resurgence of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) sheltering in Afghanistan has emerged as a critical factor in achieving peace for the survival of any Pakistani government. The extent of the threat became clear on Monday when a suicide bomber detonated an estimated 10kg of explosives inside a mosque in Peshawar’s Police Lines area, killing over 100 people and injuring more than 200 others. This proves the militants are once again expanding their footprint from the erstwhile tribal areas to urban centers; as threatened when the government’s talks with the TTP broke down in November and saw a boost in attacks targeting police in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and areas bordering Afghanistan, including Balochistan, where insurgents have stepped up militancy after formalizing a nexus with the outlawed TTP.

The TTP has deep historical roots with other militants, including the Afghan Taliban, Al Qaeda, and the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP). The group is a by-product of Al Qaeda’s jihadi politics in Afghanistan and Pakistan after 9/11. It retains covert links with Al Qaeda and has regards the Afghan Taliban as leaders while enjoying safe haven under them in Afghanistan. While the ISKP largely emerged from disaffected TTP members, it has always avoided any physical confrontation with the group and its public messaging reveals a soft spot for its parent group. Any alliance between the two groups could have severe security implications for Pakistan and beyond.

There is no longer any time for indecision on how to deal with militancy. Unless the TTP is confronted and conclusively dealt with, its assaults will expand nationwide and incorporate already entrenched terrorist organizations. The signs are already there: on Jan. 22, a police vehicle narrowly escaped a bombing in Peshawar’s Badaber area; a day earlier, a policeman was martyred and two others injured when unidentified assailants attacked a checkpost in Charsadda. On Jan. 14, three cops were martyred when militants, armed with automatic assault weapons, attacked the Sarband police station on the outskirts of Peshawar.

The TTP is now the largest militant organization fighting against the state of Pakistan. According to the U.N.—and ousted prime minister Imran Khan—the group has several thousand fighters in Afghanistan, with strongholds on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border. Islamabad maintains it is funded by India, finding support for such actions within Afghanistan. Amidst all this, confusion persists over Pakistan’s response, as some within the country continue to advocate “peace talks” that have traditionally yielded little apart from giving the militants time and space to retrench. In the coming days, Pakistan’s challenge on its western border will become more difficult than ever before.

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