Key Points:

• The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is one of the largest and most organised militant groups operating inside and across the borders of Pakistan.
• Pakistan has pursued a two-pronged strategy to deal with the TTP, consisting of both hard measures and negotiations with the organisation’s leadership.
• Unfortunately, the TTP has repeatedly used the cover of dialogue to rebuild its strength whenever it has been pushed into a corner through military measures.
• The TTP is not only intricately linked to several cross-border terrorist outfits but has also recently revamped its organisational structure, making it deadlier.
• Reports about the organisation’s possession of modern weapons left behind in Afghanistan are another alarming trend.
• Pakistan must gain the cooperation of its neighbours like China and Iran, who suffer from the spillover of terrorism.
• The country should clearly define the baseline beyond which no group’s activities will be tolerated nor any negotiations entertained.