Shah Marai—AFP
The ongoing influx of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists in significant numbers—with recruitment, training and infiltrating of suicide bombers—into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s merged districts is “a cause of concern,” the Interior Ministry informed the Senate earlier this week. This escalation, it added, followed the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and the inaction of the interim Afghan government against the banned group. Adding to the crisis are intelligence reports suggesting India’s RAW spy agency is funding and fomenting the terrorists gathering on Pakistan’s western border with Afghanistan.
After years of dithering—including a disastrous policy of “resettlement” under the PTI-led government—Pakistan has finally recognized that the resurgence of terrorism is largely owed to the “support” the militants receive from Afghanistan. The Interior Ministry’s report has also warned that the TTP is seeking the support of other militant groups within Pakistan to increase its strength and capabilities, noting its operations are primarily concentrated in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, “with footprints in Balochistan,” and attempts at revival in the rest of the country. Ominously, this activity is in parallel with Daesh also trying to establish a foothold in Pakistan through sectarian strife.
The past year has seen a significant surge in terrorism in parts of Pakistan abutting Afghanistan. According to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, 2023 saw a 70 percent increase in militant attacks, with an 81 percent rise in deaths over 2022. In addition to the TTP, new offshoots like the Tehreek-e-Jihad have also activated, and fears are mounting of the militants targeting politicians as the election campaign gears up ahead of the Feb. 8 polls. Unfortunately, Pakistan has largely ignored its western border, especially in contrast to its eastern frontier with India, facilitating illegal trespass and infiltration. This “neglect of sovereignty” is finally coming home to roost, and amidst a severe economic crunch and societal polarization, Pakistan faces a tough time ahead in re-achieving the hard-won “normalcy” that it had secured prior to the Afghan Taliban’s return to power in Kabul.