File photo of a terror attack. Abdul Majeed—AFP
The recent surge of terrorism across has triggered a debate over who’s responsible, with politicians of the government and opposition trading blame over which of them has facilitate the return to prominence of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Chairing a meeting of his party’s senior leadership on Monday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan reiterated his allegations of the ruling coalition being responsible for pushing the country toward “terror incidents.” He also singled out Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for being responsible for the state of national security. “Leaving national security at the mercy of [Asif Ali] Zardari’s politically-immature son is criminal stupidity,” he claimed, and vowed to resist all efforts to steer the country toward disaster.
This isn’t the first time the PTI has sought to blame the deterioration of security on the incumbent government. In addition to various speeches in which he has claimed that his party could do better to counter terrorism as it has “positive ties” with the Taliban, he posted a statement on Twitter earlier this month suggesting the government was more focused on its own preservation than eradicating extremism.
“Apart from running our economy to the ground, this Imported government has failed to deal with the 50% increase in terrorism in Pakistan with incidents from Chaman to Swat to Lakki Marwat to Bannu; They have also failed to deal with attacks from the international Pak-Afghan border by security forces of a ‘friendly’ Afghan govt,” he wrote on Twitter. “While our soldiers, police and local people are giving daily sacrifices with their lives, the worst part is that this increasing terrorist threat and attacks from across our Western border are finding no space in the discourse of this government,” he added.
By contrast, the ruling coalition is clear on who it considers responsible for the return of terrorism to Pakistan: Imran Khan and the PTI. Speaking with media on Sunday, Economic Affairs Minister Ayaz Sadiq alleged that Khan’s policies as prime minister had facilitated the resurgence of the banned TTP. Recalling that the PTI had initiated “peace talks” with the banned group last year, he said the country had seen the fallout of that strategy this winter. “Imran Khan did not curb terrorism [while in power],” he said. “Rather he allowed negotiations with those who had martyred children at the Army Public School. And now a new wave of terrorism has begun because of those negotiations,” he claimed.
Similarly, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique told a gathering in Lahore on Monday that the PTI’s seriousness over terrorism could be gauged by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government’s behavior. While security forces were resolving a hostage crisis at the Bannu Counter-terrorism Center, he said, the entirety of the provincial cabinet was in Zaman Park [Khan’s residence in Lahore] to figure out a way to implement its plan to dissolve the assemblies.
The blame game comes amidst a visible surge in terrorism across Pakistan, with the TTP claiming responsibility for a string of attacks, especially in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Last week, the banned group also claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Islamabad that saw the martyrdom of a police official who stopped the militant’s vehicle for a spot-check. The situation in KP has been troubling for several months, with locals protesting against government policies they say have allowed militants to return to the region from Afghanistan.