Since last year, Pakistan’s western provinces have witnessed an exponential rise in violence after the banned TTP unilaterally ended the ceasefire with the Pakistani government. Following the attack on Bannu Counter Terrorism Department, the political and military leaders expressed their concerns regarding the alarming security situation and vowed to curb the threat of terrorism. Against this backdrop, on 2 January 2023, National Security Committee (NSC), under the premiership of Shehbaz Sharif, reiterated its resolve to have “zero tolerance” for terrorism in the country. It was further decided that any entities that resort to violence would be dealt with full muscles of the state authorities. The federal and provincial governments would continue to lead the war against terrorism according to the National Action Plan and National Internal Security Policy. The role of the armed forces was considered significant to ensure a secure and conducive environment for the sustainable socio-economic development of the country.
TTP responded to this harshly by threatening that action would be taken against the top political leadership for declaring war against them. They further identified security forces as their main target. Despite the announcements and commitments by Pakistani government officials, terrorist organisations continue to target security forces across the country. A bomb blast in the Peshawar police complex mosque resulted in the death of more than 100 people. Later, three terrorists entered and attacked the Karachi Police Chief’s Office, resulting in the death of four officials.
Pakistani officials have long expressed their concern about the potential use of Afghan soil for launching attacks on Pakistani forces. Pakistani authorities have accused the Afghan Taliban of sheltering the TTP fighters. Addressing the Munich Security Conference in Germany in mid-February, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto expressed his concerns that if the interim Afghan government did not demonstrate the will and capacity to take on militant groups operating from its territory, then the violence would not be limited to the region alone. He also urged the international community to act proactively to curb the increase in terrorism. The Afghan officials rejected these claims and have been levelling counter-accusations, projecting Pakistan as ultimately responsible for militancy within its own borders.
While the government is keen to curb cross-border terrorism and seeks to prevent the use of Afghan soil for launching attacks, it also needs to review its domestic policies regarding dealing with TTP and other banned factions.
In order to seek cooperation from Afghanistan, a high-level delegation, comprising Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and DG Inter-Services Intelligence Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum, visited Kabul and held a meeting with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, acting deputy prime minister of Afghanistan. During the meeting, matters related to security and economic affairs were discussed. According to the Foreign Office statement, the Afghan government promised to cooperate with Pakistan on its concerns regarding the presence of TTP and its sanctuaries in Afghanistan. However, this time Pakistani officials are demanding more tangible action against TTP by the Afghan government. In case these actions do not materialise, there is the possibility of cross-border strikes targeting the TTP sanctuaries.
While the government is keen to curb cross-border terrorism and seeks to prevent the use of Afghan soil for launching attacks, it also needs to review its domestic policies regarding dealing with TTP and other banned factions. There has been a lack of consistency in the official policy related to TTP. During the previous PTI government, a soft approach was pursued by the government. It was open to giving pardons to TTP fighters if they submitted and surrendered to the writ of the government and the Constitution of Pakistan. But this soft approach was not able to bring up the desired results. Instead of accepting the government’s writ, TTP has resurged as a more potent force, claiming more than 250 attacks in the last year alone. According to a report by National Counter-Terrorism Authority (NACTA), TTP used ‘peace talks’ as a disguise and, during the talks, gained extensive ground, enlarged its footprint and magnitude of activities. Besides TTP, other terrorist groups have also resurged, painting a bleak picture regarding the future security situation of the country unless strong action is taken against them.
The reasons for failing to deal effectively with terror networks are the lack of political consensus and the inability to implement the formulated policies. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto accused the previous PTI government of employing a wrong approach while dealing with TTP and labelled the “policy of appeasement” as problematic. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif labelled the decision to have dialogues with militants and to resettle them during the previous PTI regime as a “faulty” move that the parliament never endorsed. This time, both the political and military leadership have taken a strong stance of zero tolerance against such groups, but it remains to be seen whether these policies materialise more concretely. The government must take into confidence all stakeholders regarding their approach, and during policy formulation, should listen to the grievances of locals most affected by this menace.
With the failure of peace talks, ensuring that those who challenge the writ of state are dealt with in full force is now pertinent. One of the key obstacles which limit the capability of sustaining an all-out high-intensity operation against terrorists is the country’s deteriorating economy. However, without ensuring a secure environment, the country would not be able to attract foreign investments. Hence, the key to sustainable economic growth lies in the security domain. The government needs to take into confidence all the segments of society regarding their zero-tolerance policy. The religious elites should continue to play a leading role in debunking the false narratives of the TTP. The political and military leadership has voiced their commitment to tackling the security challenges firmly, but these commitments must be materialised effectively.
